Exile
by Samantha Strait
Summary: Edward is with Alice. There is no Bella. What would happen if I moved to Forks and met Jasper? Read to find out! AU and a tad OOC. R&R! Rated M for language and adult situations. **I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT**
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Forks. Who knew that would become one of the most significant words in my vocabulary, in my world? If someone would have told me six months ago what I would be doing right now, I'm sure I would have laughed in his or her face and possibly tried to have said person committed. Being a pessimist, I certainly would have thought this level of happiness impossible for myself. But, like the rest of my life, everything did work out for the best…but not before so much unhappiness came my way. However, I have to say that every second was completely worth the pain.

**Chapter 1**

_Is my boss totally insane? What on Earth could have made him want to move to this God-forsaken swamp? I swear I will sprout some sort of vegetation within a week of living here!_ I shook my head at my thoughts. _There is absolutely nothing you can do about it now, Sam. You were the one who jumped at the opportunity without doing your research first. Make your bed and lay in it, you idiot. There is no one but you to blame for when you are, so get over yourself._

I was on my way to the rain-soaked widening of the road known as Forks. I considered myself exiled to this Hellhole. The owner of the small company I worked for had had a brilliant stroke of inspiration and decided to move his successful business (located in beautiful Chicago) to this under populated and under developed town.

Spurred on by the rain cascading in rivers around me, my thoughts seemed to turn for the worst. Realizing for the hundredth time that I was a million miles away from everyone and everything I loved hit me like a strategically placed right hook to the jaw. My family lived within a fifty-mile radius of my hometown in Iowa. If I had thought moving to Chicago was bad, I should have known living across the country in Washington would be much worse.

I kept telling myself that my mother and my brother could rely on each other and could take care of themselves, but I knew that they could drive each other crazy if in close proximity for longer than a few days. Since my father was no longer in the picture and had been absent since I was eight, I knew that my mom's only daughter was the only one to care for her and she had just moved to the other side of the world for as far of a distance they were apart.

Continuing to wallow in self-pity and guilt, I moved through the throng of passengers toward the baggage claim. I was having most everything of mine shipped from Chicago, but had one suitcase to tide me over until my things arrived the next day. I quickly spotted my luggage due to the ingenious bright pink ribbon tied on the handle and grabbed hefted it to the ground beside me, pulling the handle to a comfortable hauling level.

As I turned to make my way out of the "airport," I suddenly rammed into something cool and rock solid. Of course, being the world's biggest klutz, I fell and landed on my behind while managing to jam my hand under my one-ton suitcase on my way down. I yelped in pain as I heard the bones in my wrist crunch under the weight. Through tears, I looked down at my broken appendage and saw that it was already starting to swell and bruise. I had finally had enough. My terrible temper broke through the barriers of calm.

"Son of a bitch!"

My bitten-off oath finally moved the brick wall I had connected with to take action. I heard the most glorious voice on the whole planet Earth speaking to me in hushed tones.

"Miss, I am so sorry, are you alright?"

The slight twinge of the South in his voice nearly made me start drooling, further humiliating myself. My embarrassment grew tenfold when I looked up to respond. My words caught in my throat, my breath lost. Man's finest creation was standing in front of me, all six-foot-four of him. His blond, shaggy hair flopped into his eyes, creating a desire in me to reach up and brush it away. My lack of response caused the look of mild worry on his face to change into a deeper concern. Looking into his gorgeous tawny eyes, my mind lost its ability to form a coherent thought.

"Miss, please…where are you hurt?"

"I…I think—my wrist, it might be broken."

_Oh, he is so sweet! And his eyes…lips…hands, oh my Lord his HANDS are—_

His sigh snapped me out of my fantasizing, drawing my attention back to his glorious face.

"You're quite sure it's broken, miss…?"

The annoyance in his tone brought back my sudden anger.

"Yes, I am sure. I've broken it before and I'm sure I'll break it again. I think I know my own body well enough to tell when I've broken something, thanks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be on my way."

I pivoted on the heel of my clunky boots, grabbing my suitcase's handle with my good hand and cradling my broken wrist against my ribcage. Suddenly, I felt the weight of my baggage disappear and the handle was tugged from my hand. I spun around, preparing to take back my only possession in this damn place. I found the man standing with my case in his hand, one hand on his hip.

"You think I would let you walk out of here by yourself in your condition? You probably don't even have a ride to wherever it is you plan on going, do you?"

I rolled my eyes, mirroring his stance by placing my good hand on my own hip.

"What the hell do you care? I'd like my baggage back now."

I sighed when he did not comply, reaching my hand out for the handle. We stood in a tense, silent standoff for what seemed like hours. Finally, my anger got to me…again…and I snapped at him.

"Look, whatever the hell your name is, I am _so_ not in the mood."

The most irritating smirk formed on his lips, making me see a bit of red.

"I can tell. What on Earth made you so angry, missy?"

"Missy? Who the hell are you calling missy? You're what, two years older than me, three at the max? You're not a hundred and fifty years old pal. Get a grip. My luggage, please?"

I was suddenly amused by the whole situation and found myself fighting a grin. _Where the hell did that come from? I was just unbelievably pissed off at this guy._ His eyebrow shot up, indicating that he must have seen the confusion cross my features. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. He sighed again, running his free hand through his hair. When he looked my way again, I was nearly blown away by the sincerity in his topaz eyes.

"I really am sorry about what happened earlier. Please let me help you. My father is a doctor and I have a car right outside."

He looked at me expectantly. _You aren't going to have a better offer than this, Sam. You might want to let him help you. This way you can make it to your apartment without another broken bone._ I sighed, scrubbing a hand over my face.

"All right. I'll let you help me, but on one condition."

"And that would be?"

I smirked at him, seeing the apprehension cross his face.

"I don't accept help from total strangers. I'd like to know your name."

His smile made my heart skip a beat.

"My name is Jasper. I don't help total strangers. Your name?"

"Samantha. Most people call me Sam."

His eyes slid up and down my figure, causing me to turn bright red. When his eyes again met mine, his grin was slow to appear, but was brilliant.

"You'll find that I am not most people, Samantha. Do you have everything you need?"

At my nod, he turned and walked towards the door, leaving me scrambling after him. By the time I made it to his car, he had already gotten my bag into the back seat of his shiny Volvo and was standing by the passenger door. When he caught sight of me, he opened it and stood aside, waiting until I had situated myself into the seat before closing the door and dashing around the front of the car. Before I had finished buckling my seat belt, he was in the car revving the engine to life. He pulled out of the parking lot in silence. After minutes of this, it was obvious Jasper wasn't one for conversation. I turned to look out the window.

The scenery speeding past outside made me vaguely nauseous. The blur of green, when coupled with the car's rapidly increasing speed, made for an unsightly picture. I couldn't help but think that it would be my awful luck to be in a car wreck and see that damn color with my last breath.

Rolling my eyes in disgust with the utter morbidity of my thoughts, I turned back to Jasper, only to see him glaring at me out of the corner of his eye. My anger automatically rose up in my head, but was quickly stamped out when I told myself that he was helping me, regardless of his obvious annoyance at having to do so. In an attempt to quell his annoyance as well as my own, I decided to try to start a conversation.

"So…what brought you to the airport today, Jasper?"

He glanced at me quickly, and then brought his eyes back to the road ahead as he answered.

"I was dropping my brother off for his flight. This is his car, actually."

"Really? It's a pretty great car, although, I'd prefer a 911 Turbo myself. It's smaller and has a bit more under the hood."

His smile was quick, unexpected, and disappeared just as fast.

"My sister actually owns one in yellow."

I goggled at him in awe. _They must have some major cash, then…more than I'd see in my lifetime._

"Are you serious? It's been out for less than a month. Where the hell did she even get one of those in this God forsaken place?"

"It was a gift from her husband, my brother Edward."

"Wait, what? Your brother is married to your sister?!"

His laugh was velvet and filled the car like a thick and rich coffee.

"That's the normal reaction when someone finds that out. We aren't really related to each other. Our father Carlisle and our mother Esme adopted all five of us."

"Oh…all right. Five of you? Are you the oldest, then?"

His smirk was not lost to me.

"In a manner of speaking. I was the last to join our family, though, so I'm still the youngest in that way. Edward was our parents' first, then Alice, followed by Rosalie and her now husband Emmett, and lastly myself."

"I see. I'm sorry about your biological parents, all of yours. It's hard…not knowing your parents."

My thoughts strayed to my own vagrant father and sadness filled me unexpectedly. Jasper clearly had a stable and happy unit now, while mine was far from stable or normal. Suddenly, I felt Jasper's cool hand on top of mine. I looked at him in surprise, finding sympathy and some of my own sadness in his eyes.

"Why so sad, Samantha? Did I say or do something—"

"No, Jasper, it isn't anything to do with you, I swear. It's…talking about other people's baggage brings up my own, which you definitely do _not_ want to hear about."

His eyes burned with intensity as he continued to stare me down.

"You never know what I might find interesting, Samantha."

He removed his hand from mine then, placing it back on the steering wheel of the Volvo. I took a deep mind-clearing breath. _This _cannot_ be good…_

_**Ok, what did you think? This is my first FanFiction story, so I would like some constructive criticism. Let me know if there are ginormous errors or if the story just plain bites. Review and let me know if you'd like to read more. Thanks! Samantha**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Yay! Another chapter out in less than a week! See you at the end:) I have a surprise...**_

**Chapter 2**

After nearly losing my mind because of Jasper's "dazzling," I couldn't find my tongue long enough to speak. So, we finished our ride in silence. As he pulled onto a rough dirt road canopied by a zillion trees, I began to worry that he was some sort of kidnapper or serial rapist that finds his victims in public venues. My nerves must have shown on my face.

"Our house is just up this road. It's wild, but we like to stay as far away from civilization as we can."

I turned back to him, confused but silent. Jasper raised an eyebrow, as if daring me to voice my question and alleviate my curiosity. _You know what they say about the cat…curiosity killed it and satisfaction brought it back. What is the worst he could do? Yell at you?_ Taking a steadying breath, I blurted out my question.

"Why on Earth would you want to live out here?"

That damn smirk came back as he glanced at me. It was really starting to be aggravating…maybe…a little bit.

"We like our privacy, of course. Living away from others tends to keep one's secrets to one's self, don't you think?"

I had to admit that it made sense. There were times I wished to be invisible myself. This type of isolation afforded Jasper and his family that invisibility. Nodding, I accepted this. When I turned to look again at the surrounding scenery, I think my jaw dropped and hit the floor. Ahead of us in the middle of a clearing was the most gorgeous house I had ever seen in my 22 years of life. It was gigantic, more like a mansion, with walls of glass.

I was so mesmerized by the sight I did not realize we had stopped until the door next to me opened. Since I was lightly leaning against it, I nearly toppled headfirst out the door. Luckily, Jasper was fast enough to see my klutz moment coming and caught me before I hit the ground.

"Steady, there. You'll end up breaking another limb, darlin'."

Irritated by the amusement in his voice, I pulled my arm from his grasp and walked forward toward the house. In the hush, I could hear the nearby rushing of water. I suppressed a shudder at the thought. _I _really_ hate water. Thanks for that one, Daddy. _I shook my head and turned my head, trying to take in everything about my surroundings. I was shaken from my observations by Jasper's quiet voice beside me calling my name.

"Hmmm? Did you say something?"

His amusement was clear in his eyes as I spared him a glance. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I did. I said that my father is home and in his office. Would you like to have your wrist looked at now?"

I was reminded of the whole reason for this trip with Jasper. The throbbing suddenly reared its ugly head. I winced and nodded, allowing him to take my arm and lead my up the stairs of the porch. He opened the door and began moving away from me and toward the stairs.

"I'm going to talk to Carlisle, tell him you need help. I'll be right back, so don't you move."

His stern attitude annoyed me. I rolled my eyes and made a show of sitting on the floor. Seemingly satisfied, he nodded and began up the stairs. When he was out of sight, I looked down at my hands and began scrutinizing my fingernails. _It was really nice of him to leave me sit here with a finger up my—_

"Hello. Can I help you?"

I yelped at the unexpected voice. My head snapped up, embarrassed my immensely. The pale woman in front of me shared Jasper's ethereal beauty. Her caramel-colored locks framed a kind, heart-shaped face.

"I'm sorry to have scared you, but—oh, my! What happened to your arm, dear?"

With a wry grin at my klutziness, I stood to tell this woman my story. At the end, my embarrassment had grown tenfold. However, the woman did not seem to think my situation was amusing in the least.

"Oh, you poor thing. Come here and sit down. We need to get you some help. I'll go get my husband."

"That's all right, ma'am, Jasper already went up to his office to get him."

"I see. Call me Esme, honey. May I ask your name?"

I smiled at her, pleased with her maternal nature. She reminded me so much of _my_ mother.

"My name is Samantha, but most people just call me Sam."

"Well, Sam, it is very nice to meet you."

At that moment, a horrendous crashing came from just outside the house. I nearly jumped out of my skin, looking at Esme with fear in my eyes.

"It's all right, dear. That would be my son Emmett."

Suddenly, I heard a smooth voice from behind me.

"Yes, it would seem that my dear brother has sensed a guest in the house and has made up his mind to scare her off as soon as possible."

I turned to Jasper, smirking at his comment.

"Sorry, Jasper. It takes a bit more than that to scare me away."

His appraising gaze bothered me for reasons I couldn't fathom. I squirmed, looking away from his intense gaze.

"I know. You put up a good front, don't you."

Esme reached over and hit her son in the back of the head. I had to stifle a chuckle when he glared at me behind her back.

"Jasper Whitlock Hale! Stop being so rude."

He had the grace to look at his mother and myself apologetically.

"Sorry, Mom."

Another glare in my direction had me biting my cheek to stop my laughter. After a few more seconds of mock anger from Jasper, he spoke.

"Samantha, please come with me. Carlisle will see you in his office."

I rose, preparing to follow Jasper up the stairs. Pausing, I turned back to Esme.

"It was very nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me into your home."

"No thanks are necessary, Sam. I'm just glad that we are able to help you."

I smiled and turned back to Jasper. He gestured me ahead of him, so I started to climb the stairs. When I reached the top, I realized I had no clue where I was going. I heard chuckling behind me and turned to glare at the source.

"Carlisle is in the room to your left, Samantha. I'll leave you to it."

He turned to go, but I put a staying hand on his arm. He looked at it, then curiously at me.

"I just wanted to thank you again for your help, Jasper. You have been really nice and I appreciate it more than you'd know."

He smiled at me…not his normal smirk, but a genuine smile. My heart stuttered.

"I'd know more than you think. In any case, you're very welcome, Samantha. Now, go. Tend to your wrist. I know it's bothering you. When you're through, I can give you a ride to wherever it is you may be going."

"Thanks, I would really appreciate that, Jasper. See you later."

With that, I turned and knocked on the door Jasper had told me was Carlisle's. I knocked once and was bid enter. I opened the door and spotted the young man seated behind the solid desk. _He is already a father? Even if he adopted, he's still so young to take on the responsibility of five children. _I was pulled from my observations by his voice.

"Hello, Sam. My name is Carlisle Cullen."

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Cullen."

He reached out to shake the hand I offered with a gentle smile.

"Carlisle, please."

I couldn't help my responding grin.

"All right. Carlisle."

He was suddenly all doctor, eyes cool and focused and mouth set at a determined slant. I was impressed with the quick change.

"Now, Sam, what is it I can do for you today?"

I gently offered him my injured wrist and explained what had happened.

"Hmmm…I think you may be right in your diagnosis. I'm going to have to physically check for a break, since I don't have the proper equipment with me here. Please, let me know if I hurt you, Sam."

I smiled weakly at him, trying to focus on his slight British accent rather than his actual words. The fixing part of injuries was always the worst to me, so I was not looking forward to this examination. At my nod, Carlisle started to gently slide his hands along my wrist. I jumped slightly at the first contact. _His hands are freezing!_ When he reached the most sensitive part, I let out a pained yelp and tried to pull my arm away.

"I'm terribly sorry to have hurt you. The good news I can offer is that I know for sure the bone is broken, so I know how to treat you. The bad news is that you'll have to be in a cast for some time to allow it to heal."

I internally sighed. Having broken bones before, I knew how miserable I would be if I had to wear a cast for three months.

"Please, Carlisle, can I wear a brace instead? I promise to keep it on all the time and to not lift anything and to—"

His chuckle cut off my nervous tirade.

"I suppose I could arrange for that option. You swear to wear the brace?"

I nodded my head viciously. I _really _hate casts.

"Yes, I swear on the Bible. Please?"

Chuckling at the fact that I was whining like a two-year-old, he walked to a nearby drawer and pulled out a black wrist brace. I sighed in relief. He gingerly took my hand and strapped in my broken appendage. When he finished, he looked at me sternly and raised an eyebrow.

"I expect you to wear that brace day in and out, except when you shower. I also expect to see you in two weeks at my office to check progress with an x-ray."

"Of course. I'll make an appointment first thing in the morning. Thanks again, Carlisle."

"It was nothing. Sam, it was a pleasure to have met you today. You'll have to excuse me. I have to be at the hospital in a half hour and need to prepare."

"I'll leave you, then. See you in two weeks!"

I quickly crossed the office and exited, closing the door softly behind myself. I turned to see Jasper leaning against the wall across the hall.

"Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes, please."

_I just realized how hungry I am._ _No need to mention I am starving because I forgot to eat today…again._ I really needed to get to my apartment, then walk to the grocery store and get some food before I passed out. Felling pretty dizzy already, I knew I was close to that. Hopefully he attributed my wobbly descent of the stairs to my clumsiness, but by the knowing look he shot me on our way out the door, I'd say he knew exactly what I was feeling. _Damn it! How the hell does he always know? Weird…_ Filing this observation in the back of my mind along with the other oddities of Dr. Cullen's family, I situated myself in the passenger seat of the Volvo. Jasper did the same in the driver's side and we were off.

Before I knew what was happening, we were entering Forks' city limits. _How did that happen? I must have really zoned out during the ride…maybe I fell asleep. Damn jet lag. _I forced myself to pay attention to the town that would now be my home for God knew how long. I thought the town I came from was small…Forks was an infinitesimal speck in comparison. There seemed to be only a gathering of buildings along the "highway" that went through town. _I knew it…civilization as I've experienced is now gone._

"Where exactly am I supposed to be taking you, Samantha?"

I pulled out the slip of paper my boss had given me containing the information for my apartment complex and the building that would house his place of business. Rambling off the address, I turned to look at the man next to me. My first day here and I'd probably met the kindest family in the whole town. _Everything will be down hill from here, I'd bet. At least I've met someone today. That makes me feel a bit less isolated._ Jasper must have sensed my gaze on his face. He turned to grin at me and my heart skipped a beat.

"I'm sure this is not what you were expecting to happen on your first day here."

"No, not quite. Surprisingly, I think this town might not be the isolated Hellhole I expected it to be."

"I'm glad. Do you…mind if I ask you a question?"

I smiled, thinking back to the twenty questions session we had had on the car ride to his home.

"Of course, it's only fair."

He drummed his hands on the wheel impatiently, probably thinking of the best way to phrase…_oh, crap, it's going to be really bad_. When he turned to me, my anxiety was rapidly growing, my heart racing.

"What exactly decided to make you move to Forks? You obviously disliked it before you arrived, so…"

I heaved a mental sigh of relief. _This one is easy_.

"Well, it was my boss's idea to move his company here. I was one of his first employees, and he wanted to show his loyalty by offering to let me transfer with the company. So…here I am, exiled to – I'm sorry, you don't need to hear my twenty-minute rant about this."

He grinned at me, reaching over without looking to flip on the windshield wipers. I was a little impressed. My driving skills would've taken us to the ditch if I had so much as thought about doing what he had done with a thoughtless flick of his finger.

"You avoided a rant nicely, so no foul. What exactly is it the business claims to do and what's your place in it?"

Trying to avoid sounding like an infomercial, I explained.

"We buy and sell music. This includes sheet and recorded music, instruments, supplies, and memorabilia. We have varying genres, techniques, and styles of each. I am in charge of finding and acquiring inventory on Tuesday, Thursday and weekends. I also work the register from open to close Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This does not include volunteer work I do organizing and participating in the shop's once-per-month karaoke night. The profits benefit a different local charity each month."

His chuckle sent up a flare of irritation, but I quickly tamped it and waited for him to say something in response.

"My my, you are a busy little thing, aren't you? When do you ever find time for yourself, for a personal life?"

I felt the color drain out of my face. _Oh, shit. The _one_ question I want to avoid…_

"I…um, I don't have much of a personal life. I—"

Sensing my hesitation, he gave me an out.

"Samantha, I understand. There are some things that…one can't tell another, no matter how much one would like to."

His grasp of the situation had me feeling instantly grateful.

"That's exactly it. I just can't. I really am sorry, Jasper."

"We all have our secrets, Samantha. Be assured that I am not telling you my deepest and darkest, either. Please, don't feel obligated to do that for me."

The quick shot of hurt that went through me was unexpected and totally confusing. I quickly pasted a fake smile on my face to hide this from him, but I had the feeling that he knew what I was feeling anyway. I quickly averted my eyes and noticed that we were parked outside my apartment building.

"Oh…we're already here. That was fast. How the hell did—never mind. I hate to ask you for anything else, but I live on the gazillionth floor and with only one arm…"

"Since it was my fault that you broke your wrist in the first place, I would be a terrible person if I left you to drag that monstrosity up by yourself. What on Earth do you have in this thing anyway? Bricks?"

I smirked, reaching for the door handle and spoke over my shoulder.

"Close enough. Shoes, clothing, grooming supplies, and all of the chargers for my portable electronics."

I made my exit as quick as possible and shut the door behind me, standing on the curb to wait. As Jasper did the same, he was shaking his head. While he ducked into the back seat to grab my bag, I heard him grumbling. I chuckled to myself, happy to aggravate him for once. His sudden departure form the car startled me and I swear I saw him smirk.

"You are almost as bad as my sister, Alice. Except, I'm sure she would have packed about four bags to your one."

"I would have, but all of my other stuff is supposed to be here tomorrow. This stuff is just for emergencies."

He rolled his eyes and hefted the bag over the curb and onto the sidewalk with one hand.

"I'll never understand you ladies. Now, to which apartment might I be foisting this luggage?"

That night, I lay in my bed thinking about the day. Jasper's entrance into my life had been a splashy and loud one, and I wasn't sure yet if it would benefit him or me, or just ruin us both. Knowing my past track record in this arena, I was going for the 'ruin us both' option. Regardless of what I knew would probably happen, I hoped in the deepest recesses of my heart that it wouldn't be me to screw this up, whatever it turned out to be.

_**Did you like it? Did you not? Please, let me know. I'd also like to know if you'd like a chapter in Jasper's POV some time in the future. Review...come on, you know you wanna...I'll PM you a slice of the up-coming chapter as incentive...it'll get you speculating;)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The next morning, my cell phone slammed me into wakefulness. I fumbled on my nightstand to find it and, or course, ended up knocking it to the floor. Swearing profusely, I threw back the covers and got down on my hands and knees to find it. It stopped ringing just as my fingertips found it under my bed.

"Damn it! You woke me up for than damn phone call and then you hang up on me?! Slimy bastards…"

This rant went on until I had crawled my way to the shower and pulled myself under the cool stream, effectively chasing away the remnants of sleep. Twenty minutes later, I had finished my morning wash-up routine and was sitting in my kitchenette drinking my morning cup of Darjeeling tea. I had my i-Pod in its dock and blaring Avenged Sevenfold. When my phone rang again, I swore colorfully and rushed into my bedroom to grab it off the bed, where it had landed when I threw it in a fit of frustration. I sounded harried and frazzled even to myself as I answered.

"Hello?"

There was a slight hesitation at the hostility in my tone. The person finally gathered the courage to speak.

"Sam? It's Kevin. Did I…catch you at a bad time? I thought—"

I cut my boss, Kevin, off in frustration.

"No, Kev, it's fine. What did you need?"

"Well, I was hoping to get the store open for at least a few hours today and I'm not done putting the inventory lists together. Do you think you could come and help me finish it up…you were the person who found the stuff, after all."

I bit back an annoyed sigh and rolled my eyes. Kevin was a kind and generous man, but was also the most unorganized and left me to pick up his messes frequently…another duty that fell to me to oversee.

"Of course, Kev. I can be there in…twenty minutes," I said, glancing at the clock. Kevin's sigh of relief almost made me smile…until I remembered that it was 7:15 on a Friday morning. _Damn him and his unorganized craziness._

"Oh, Sam, thank God! I owe you big time for this!"

_Yeah…and the million or so other times I've bailed out your butt._

"No biggie, Kevin. Ok, so, I'll meet you at the store in twenty?"

"Great! See you later, Sam!"

"Yep."

I hung up the phone before I let one of my snide comments slip. Getting fired was not an option, and if I pissed Kevin off, no matter how much he liked me, I'd be out on my butt. _Ugh! If I moved all the way to this disaster area and then got fired from the only reason I moved here in the first place, I think I might go on a random punching spree…okay, so not really, but I'd be mad enough to…_

"All right, Sam, move your tubby butt!"

Knowing I'd have to walk the distance to the store, I quickly rushed into my bedroom and dressed. Slipping into jeans and a _Mute Math_ tee shirt, I pulled my curly, unruly brown hair into a ponytail. When I'd gotten into my boots and raincoat (that was bright pink), I grabbed my purse and jammed in my cell, my iPod, a tube of cherry chapstick, and my wallet. Pleased with myself for being ready in less than ten minutes, I rushed out the door. I started walking down the slabs of cement that passed as a sidewalk and pulled out my iPod to keep myself company. I sighed happily at the first strains of 'Fairytale' by Sara Bareilles rang through my ear buds.

The song had just finished and shuffled to 'The Quest' by Bryn Christopher when I heard an obnoxious car horn. I ignored it, thinking that someone in the intersection I had just walked through was avoiding a traffic accident. The horn sounded again. _Damn it! I'm up at 7:30 am, what more do you want from me?_ In annoyance, I yanked my left ear bud out and turned to cuss out the obnoxious noisemaker. Shock raced through me when I saw Jasper Hale pulling up to the curb beside me, rolling down the passenger side window. With a quick glance at his face, I saw anger marring his statuesque features. The anger was also laced into his voice when he spoke.

"Why are you walking when it's raining outside? You are going to catch your death out here!"

_Did he really just say that? My _grandmother_ says that! What is with this family?_

"Um…is that a rhetorical question?"

His frustrated growl had me jerking back in surprise.

"Get in the car, Samantha. Now," he said when I remained on the pavement.

"No, thank you. I don't accept rides from men who are acting like jerks. Have a good day, Jasper."

As I turned to walk away, I heard him yelling at me. Rolling my eyes, I turned back to him expectantly.

"Samantha, please, get in the car. What sort of gentleman would I be if I let a lady walk in the rain when I have this nice, dry car right here waiting?"

"The antithesis of a good little Southern gentleman, I'd guess. Sorry, but this lady is walking in the rain."

"Please, Samantha…"

His eyes smoldered at me, the intensity nearly taking my breath away. When I noticed his smirk, however, I snapped back to reality. Angry with myself for falling for that charm of his, I raised my eyebrow, daring him to make me get into the car.

During our miniature staring contest, I noticed that this was a completely different car than the one he'd driven yesterday. _Where the hell do they keep them all? First Edward's Volvo, then Alice's Porsche, and now a fricking Maserati GranTurismo? Is this guy kidding me? STOP! You cannot let this influence you to get in the damn car. Don't be a baby! Just because this is your dream car and the most gorgeous man alive is driving it…oh, to Hell with it!_

I sighed, hefting my purse over my shoulder. Leaning down and placing my arms on the ledge of the window, I stared Jasper down.

"Let's get this straight. I am accepting a ride from you because I hate being wet and the rain is starting to blow, so my umbrella will do nothing for me. And also, I wouldn't want you to have your gentleman's card revoked, so…just this once. Okay?"

His answering smile was brilliant. I felt my heart stop and start again with the thrill of having that smile turned on me.

"Please, by all means, I _must_ keep that card. It's my only claim to any sort of nicety in my life. Esme would positively have my head. Samantha, your chariot awaits."

His sweeping gesture across the cab made me laugh heartily. I quickly opened the door and got inside, hurriedly shutting out the dampness of Forks. After I was comfortable, Jasper took off, concentrating on the road. This left me the opportunity to ogle my dream car.

_Oh, my GOD! I am in a Maserati! _I barely resisted the urge to run a hand along the dashboard and tampered my squeal of delight. My brother always made fun of me for not knowing anything about cars, but I knew that a sports car was one wasteful purchase I'd wanted to make since I was sixteen. Being an intelligent person, I naturally did my research and chose the best one. For me, this was the GranTurismo. But with a starting price of 110,000 I knew I would most likely never _see_ this car, much less own one. So, needless to say, being in this car was like Heaven on Earth. Jasper's laugh brought me out of my reverie, my eyes focusing on his instantly.

"See? If you'd have refused the ride, you'd have missed this."

He must have seen my eager eyes traveling over everything in the car. I blushed and looked away, ashamed at being caught in my daydream. I felt his cool hand on my shoulder and turned back to him.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Samantha. Your…exuberance was catching, and I—"

"Jasper, it's all right. You didn't offend me. There's no reason to apologize. You only told the truth. I know I'd have been kicking myself later for turning down a ride in this car. It…I've wanted a sports car since I was old enough to drive and I just recently found the GranTurismo and knew it was _me_."

Jasper's smirk sent my eyebrow up in a mix of curiosity and annoyance. He chuckled and explained.

"That's exactly how I chose her. I went to the lot with my brothers and knew she'd suit me to a 'T.'"

I had to secretly agree…this sleek and powerful car certainly fit Jasper's cool exterior perfectly. However, hearing him talk about the car, I wasn't so sure that he was so sleek inside. I was beginning to think that Jasper Hale just might be deeper than anyone knew.

A comfortable silence spread over us then, like a thick fog. I realized that my iPod was still playing, and it happened to be my favorite song, 'Bottle It Up' by Sara Bareilles. I unconsciously began humming along.

"You have a gorgeous voice, Samantha."

I blushed, looking at him. Sure that he was only trying to be nice, I smiled a thin-lipped smile.

"Thank you, but you're being too kind. I don't—"

"No, I'm not. But, I can see that you'd rather not believe me, so I'll leave it alone. I apologize again."

His face turned back to the road, but not before I noticed anger mar his face once again. I could see his jaw clench and unclench, his teeth grinding in his frustration. _I am such a bitch! He was only trying to be nice by lying to me. Why did I have to make him feel so badly about it?_ Without even realizing it, I reached up to brush away the tears that had begun to fall. I looked out the window and noticed that were had arrived at Kevin's shop. _How the hell—oh, who cares! I need to get out of here! _As I opened the door and put my foot on the curb, I felt a cold hand gently grasp my broken wrist. I flinched slightly and stopped moving, waiting for him to say something. When he spoke, he sounded appalled.

"Did I make you _cry_? Samantha, I'm—"

I spoke quickly, disengaging myself from his grasp without turning back. Thankfully, he let go. I stiffly spoke to him, hearing the chill in my own voice.

"No apology necessary. _I'm _sorry. Thank you very much for the ride."

With that, I quickly hurled myself out of the car and slammed the door behind me, rushing down the sidewalk and away from Jasper Hale. I hadn't cried over a man since my father left when I was eight. _Damn you, Hale. I am stronger than this! _

My mother's words from that awful night came back to me in a rush. _Men that can make you cry mean more to you than you know._ She had been trying to convince me that my father wasn't the scum of the Earth and that he really did love my brother and me. I knew now that I was right and she wasn't…which didn't really make me feel much better about the whole situation. I _wanted_ him to love us; I _wanted_ him to want to be with us. That's why I had cried, because I knew he didn't, and it hurt more than anything.

Now, I hurt all over again because I probably had just ruined the best thing to happen to me in this God forsaken place. I had become oddly dependent upon Jasper's calming presence in my twenty-four hours of living here.

Realizing my obsession, my horror at my behavior and myself grew. _I'm treating him like my fricking boyfriend! I've known him a day and he's shown little to no interest in me, and I'm treating him like he's my BOYFRIEND! What kind of sick freak am I? _I had reached the front stoop of the shop without knowing I'd been moving. Grateful, I collapsed onto it and buried my face in my hands.

At the angry squeal of tires, my head snapped up to look at the street. I saw the Maserati pulling away at what looked like one hundred miles an hour. Jasper's angry profile could be seen from my vantage point, and it made me feel even angrier with myself. I had chased him away; I knew this with complete certainty. _Well done, you moron. Say goodbye, now. _I shook my head and my stupidity, knowing that would come to pass…and the fault lay on my head.

_**Ok, peoples, another chapter of Exile:) There's the good news. The bad news...I've had about 50 hits on the story and only one review. Something isn't adding up here. So...I'd like to have a total of five reviews before I put the next chapter up (which is now being finished and is the longest to date) Review and get two things: a snippet of the new chapter and the whole thing faster. It's up to you! Sam  
**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**I want to say thanks to .twilight.is.here. for the reviews. Hearing someone so excited for my work is humbling and inspiring. Thanks:) Okay, enough of my babbling...on with the chapter! **_

**Chapter 4**

After Kevin had arrived, he noticed the beginnings of my emotional breakdown and intelligently ignored the tear stains on my face. For this, I was more appreciative than I could have said. I needed to get my mind off…him. Finishing the inventory catalog was the perfect diversion. Knowing that I should, could, and would lose myself in the sheet music and memorabilia spurned me to work harder than I had in the year previous. Kevin looked at me wearily and wandered off to his office after he saw the "zone" I was in. Inventory was finished by lunch, and by 1:00, I was opening the shop to its first customers.

I watched one in particular very closely. He was about 6'2" and had the oddest shade of hair…it was almost bronze. However, this was not what kept my attention. It was mostly his eyes. They were the same color as Jasper's and carried the same dark circles underneath. His skin was the same milky white, as well. Other than this, I noticed no other resemblance.

_He has the same odd features you noticed about Jasper and Carlisle and Esme. Is he…no, I'm insane. He said that Edward had flown somewhere the just the day before. Would he be back so fast? If so, he must be so tired. _I heard a melodic chuckle come from the man as he examined a piece of sheet music I knew to be Hayden's _Symphony No. 94_. I shook my head and attempted to turn my thoughts elsewhere. Thinking about anything but him was impossible without something to keep my hands and head busy. I rested my chin in the palm of my hand and stared off blankly into space, trying to think about the newest sheet music I had found before our move.

This was how the man found me after choosing his piece and making his way to the counter. He startled me, and I heard the man clearing his throat to hide his laughter. I felt myself turning red as I took the sheets from his hands. _Could you have made a bigger ass of yourself, Sam? You could have at least made it look like you were doing something._ I mentally rolled my eyes at my behavior, telling myself the time for self-pity was over. I rang up the purchase and recited the total to the man. When he handed me his credit card, I did a double take at the name it carried. _Edward A.M. Cullen…oh, shit! This is his other brother! Now I feel like even more of an idiot._ Completely disgusted with myself, I finished the transaction and handed Edward his card and bag. I was humiliated as I fed him the standard line.

"Thanks for stopping by Kevin's Music Wonderland. We hope you have a rocking rest of the day. Please, bop on in again sometime."

_God, I _cannot_ believe I let Kevin talk me into using that…it's absolute shit!_

I smiled at him and he left the store. As he turned, I could have sworn I heard him quietly laughing and saw his shoulders shaking with it.

_**Edward POV**_

I held in my laughter until I'd shut myself into my Volvo. It echoed off the interior, shredding my freakishly sensitive eardrums, but relieving the pressure in my chest. Sam had been entirely too delightful when she had been ringing up my purchase. The disgust in her thoughts about that cheesy, canned line was refreshingly honest and showed that she was loyal to her employer for saying it. However, it was the melancholy that coated her thoughts when she wasn't distracted that worried me.

When Jasper had picked my up from the airport, he had been entirely unmanageable. His thoughts were one large jumble of anger. I could feel it radiating off of him before I stepped out of the airport. There were only two thoughts that were getting through this haze. One was a vivid picture of a small, delicate woman with brown hair and eyes, pale skin; she was tearfully escaping the interior of his car as he stood by fuming at what he thought he had done. The other was the façade of the store where she works.

Seeing my brother in such distress made it clear that I had to check out the situation for myself. After consulting with my wife, I quickly made my way out the door before Jasper could sense my guilt at doing this behind his back. Thankfully, I had accomplished this and had seen Sam's distraught state.

The pair of them were stubborn and pig-headed. She was in the wrong for snipping at him when he was only complimenting her, and he was in the wrong for over-reacting and letting his frustration take control. Alice and I had to do something about this. In her vision, I had seen my brother happier than ever before, and in person I had seen him more devastated than the day he had found our family. Fixing this was going to take some doing, and I knew just who to call to action to help get it done.

_**My POV**_

The workday had finally run its course. I sighed in relief, hurriedly flipping the sign on the door to 'closed.' After quickly double-checking the day's inventory log, I called out to Kevin.

"Kevin? Everything is finished up out here. I'm going to head home, okay?"

His vague mumbling had me rolling my eyes as I pulled on my raincoat and went out the door. My iPod was playing in my ears before I had taken more than a handful of steps. I needed something to distract me, and music always sucks me into its world. Shiny Toy Guns' cover of 'Stripped' did little to take my mind off my problems. Restlessly flipping from song to song, I made my way home in the freezing rain. I got back to my apartment without even remembering the trip.

The moment I was inside, I pulled off my coat and boots as quickly as I could manage. Throwing my purse and umbrella on the floor, I put my last remaining amount of energy into throwing myself onto the sofa. Within seconds, I was useless to the world, my mental and physical exhaustion having finally come back to bite me in the ass.

_My alarm blasts me awake, just like any other day. I'm not sure how, but I can feel the change in this day. Anticipation is flowing through me like nothing I've ever felt. My anxiety causes me to be even more clumsy than normal. He would be extremely amused by watching me fumble around like this. _

_I prepare for him, choosing clothing with much thought. I shower, covering myself in his favorite scent on me, gardenia. I smother myself in lotion, making my skin baby's bottom smooth. After dressing, I am finally ready for him._

_When the knock sounds, I fight to quell the squeal that automatically tries to escape. _He's here! Finally!_ I run to the door and nearly hit myself with it in anticipation of seeing him again. Relief is strong in me and weakens my knees as my brain realizes it will have what it wants most: him. I open the door fully and see…_

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

I am startled awake from my dream by the obnoxious banging at my front door.

"Damn it! Can a woman not get a good night's sleep around this Hellhole," I asked myself as I grudgingly rose to answer the knocking.

I pulled the door open and was greeted by the unfamiliar face of a pixie. The first thing I noticed about her was her hair…short, spiky black that suited her seemingly boundless energy. I noticed her eyes next. _Jasper's eyes. This must be one of his sisters._ The next jolt came from realizing I had at least a good six inches on her in height. Regardless of this fact, I felt as big as a flea when she sized me up. I cleared my throat.

"Um, can I help you…"

She smiled brightly at me, extending a dainty hand.

"Hi! I'm Alice Hale. Jasper's—"

"Sister…I remember. You obviously know who I am," I said, shaking her hand.

"Yes, I do. Sam, it's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise. Would you like to come in, Alice?"

"That would be lovely, thank you."

I led her into the living room and offered her a seat on the couch. Uncomfortable with the silence, I offered her something to drink. With a twinkle in her eye that made me think she found my offer amusing, she responded.

"No, thank you, I don't think I'm thirsty just now. Maybe another time."

The silence that fell was awkward as I waited for her to make the point she was obviously here to make. When she spoke, I was startled.

"So, what made you decide to move here, Sam?"

"My boss moved his music shop here to Forks and offered me a raise to come with it. But, you probably already knew that."

If it was possible, Alice's face went even paler when I said this she stammered her reply.

"What do you mean?"

_Okay, totally un-called for reaction. Talk about paranoia._

"I told your brother the story. He must have told you at least that much."

She visibly relaxed, slumping back in her seat.

"Yes, I think he did."

Sensing something off kilter, but too anxious to find out the reason she was here, I made it my mission to find out what Alice was really doing in my apartment.

"Alice, I know that you didn't come here to have me tell you something you already knew. How can I help you?"

She sighed, a slight smile on her face.

"You are perceptive, aren't you? All right. I'm here about Jasper."

I stiffened in response, thinking that she must hate me for what I'd done.

"No, it's nothing bad, Sam. He…he doesn't even know I'm here. In fact, he'd probably yell himself hoarse if he did."

"I don't understand, then. If he didn't send you…"

She smiled gently and placed her hand over mine, gently squeezing.

"My husband and I are worried about our brother. Edward said that this is the worst he's seen Jasper since he joined our family. Sam, we know that he's miserable because of what happened with you. He feels terrible that he acted the way he did, then left you without making it right."

I was in tears by this time, feeling horrible for his guilt.

"But, Alice, it was _my fault_, not his! I was rude and—"

She cut me off with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, you were rude. But, Jasper had no right to become angry with you like that. He of all people should have—never mind. Just know that you are not the only one to blame, Sam."

I sighed. I knew that she was right. Suddenly, an idea smacked me dead on in the face. I swiped the tears from my face and turned to her.

"Alice, could you take something to Jasper for me?"

Alice was swaying in her seat, her eyes glazed over. _Oh, crap! Edward's going to KILL me! His wife is dying right in front of me!_ I reached out a gently shook her.

"Alice? Alice! Alice, are you all right?"

After a moment, her gaze snapped to mine and a brilliant smile crossed her lips.

"Yes, I'm fine. Now, you were saying…"

This woman seriously confused me. One minute she's nearly catatonic and the next she's bouncing up and down in her seat. I mentally shook my head.

"Oh, right. Do you think you could take a note to Jasper for me? I'd like to apologize and explain myself."

"Yes, of course. Go ahead and write it now. I'll give you a few moments while I freshen up. May I use your bathroom?"

I nodded and absently pointed in the room's general direction while I hunted down some paper and a pen. Finding some, I sat down and got to work. Hopefully, this would make some sort of sense to Jasper and we could still be friends after I told him about myself.

_**Jasper POV**_

"Damn it, Alice, what the HELL did you do?"

Edward's hand clasped none too gently on my shoulder.

"Take care of how you speak to my wife, Jasper. She is only trying to help you both. I think it might benefit you to listen to your sister."

I sighed, my sudden lack of anger causing me to collapse onto the sofa behind me, sprawled with my head tilted over the back. I closed my eyes, frustration bubbling up again.

"All right, Al. I understand why you went to Samantha. I just wish…never mind. Tell me what you want to tell me and be done with it, I beg you."

She smirked as she pulled a small envelope out of her purse. I was suddenly hit in the face with the delicious scent of a human. _Samantha! _I vaulted off the sofa and snatched the letter from Alice's tiny hands, ripping it open with precise gentle movements. I snorted. _A vampire gentle? Hardly. What's next, pigs flying or Hell freezing over?_

"Jasper, you might want to stop being snide and open the damn letter."

_Maybe if you dislike snide comments, you should kindly get OUT OF MY HEAD!_I hissed at him, my way of telling him to get the hell away. He and his wife's ghostly chuckles echoed as they ran down the hall and out of the house, giving me much desired privacy. I greedily pulled the letter out of its envelope and began reading.

_Jasper,_

_I am terribly sorry about my actions today. There are things in my past that make it hard for me to take any sort of compliment as truth. Many men in my life have all made me feel like I am worthless. I am not using this as an excuse, because there is none for being so rude. I am simply trying to help you understand why I acted like I did._

_First, it was my father. He abandoned my brother, Matthew, and I when I was eight. This made me feel like I didn't deserve his love, since he was obviously unwilling to give it to me. I knew that it was my fault that he left, even though my mom told me otherwise. The fact that I could chase my own father away at eight made me realize that I wasn't worth sticking around for. _

_Next, it was my first and only boyfriend, Lucas. He used me for what little money I made working. I was 15. He would steal from my purse and use the money to buy cigarettes and liquor. He was 18, and I was infatuated because, at first, he made me feel like I was worth something. He looked at me like I was worth a million dollars to him. I guess I was, but not in the metaphorical sense. I was literally worth money to him. When he got drunk, he was violent. He beat me countless times, and I always thought it was my fault because I was the one who made him angry, that I was stupid because I couldn't just do what he'd asked. _

_My mother finally saw what was happening to me. She dragged me home with her one night and forbade me to see Lucas again. That night, we talked until the sun came up the next morning. I explained to her how everything that had happened was my fault…Dad leaving, Lucas beating me, Matt's attitude problem…she got so angry. She yelled at me and told me that if she ever heard me say anything like that ever again, she wouldn't speak to me. _

_She said that at 17 I was old enough to understand the real reason my father had left. She explained to me that she'd found him with another woman…in their bed. _She_ was the one who kicked _him_ out. It was his decision to not see me or my brother after the divorce was final. He never petitioned for custody. With the truth, I finally realized that none of what had happened had been my fault. I wasn't worthless. My dad was a first-class jerk, and so was Lucas. Sill, even after realizing that, it's hard for me to take a compliment. I think that now, it's more a habit than anything else. _

_So…now you know why I basically called you a liar. I know in my head that it's stupid, but in my heart I still sort of feel worthless sometimes. I know that this is a lot to lay on someone who I've only known for a day, but I don't want you to think badly of me. I would still like to try and be friends, if you could forgive me. I know it's juvenile, but writing notes has always been therapeutic for me, so I apologize for the medium for this apology…wow, could I be lamer? Okay, I'm shutting up now. Hopefully talk to you soon._

_Yours, Samantha_

The letter fluttered from my fingers and onto the floor. I was frozen with shock. I stared blankly at the wall in front of my face. _How could one so young take so much damage? Has she had anyone in her life to trust? Thank whatever entity that gave her such a wonderfully strong mother. If she hadn't made Samantha see how worthwhile she really is…_ I trailed off on that morbid thought, the anger at Lucas and her deadbeat father threatening to overflow.

Knowing Samantha's life story made everything make sense. Her actions were an effort to protect herself. _I should have sensed something like this brewing in her…how could I have been so selfish and heartless? I have to tell her…have to make it right. No one in this house, including myself, will allow me to be another bad male influence in her life. _

My thoughts became one huge jumble again, like they had been at the airport. But, this time, there was one big change: I _had_ to get to her! I leapt to my feet and ran out the door before I fully registered what I was doing. _I'm on my way, Samantha. Please, wait for me…please forgive me! _

_**I want to say I'm kinda bummed about the lack of reviews. Please, regardless of whether you like it or not, tell me. The next chapters (yes, plural chapters...two, in fact) are finished and ready to put up. So, for faster updating and a tidbit of chapter 5, REVIEW!!**_

_**On a lighter note, I've been making a play list of songs that inspired me when I was writing each chapter. Being the genius that I am, I forgot to paste them into the chapters. So…here are the first three songs, along with the song for this chapter.  
**_

Prologue/Chapter 1: **Break Away-Kelly Clarkson**

Chapter 2: **Everything You Want-Vertical Horizon**

Chapter 3: **Apologize-OneRepulic**

Chapter 4: **Human-Jon McLaughlin**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thanks to Shadow Weaver 11 for the review of the last chapter! Hope you enjoyed the tidbit. Now, on with the show!**_

**Chapter 5**

_**Jasper POV**_

I raced through the woods hardly caring if was spotted. A matter of minutes had me coming to a stop in front of Samantha's apartment building. The panic nearly overwhelmed me then. _Oh, God. What if she hates me? Worse, what if I hurt her? I couldn't stand it if I did, and my family wouldn't stand for it. She's going to send me straight back out the door. I can't do this! _Luckily, at that moment, fate made my decision for me. The lobby door opened, revealing a bone-thin elderly woman. She kindly smiled at me, but I sensed her weariness. Never the less, she approached me.

"Do you need to be let inside, dear? I live just upstairs, so I can buzz you in."

Gratefulness flooded me. I smiled widely at her and nodded.

"Yes, please, ma'am, that would be kind of you."

As soon as she had pressed the button, I was inside and headed towards the stairs as quick as is "humanly" possible, shouting my thanks as I ran. When I was sure no one was in the stairwell with me, I used my vampire speed to get me to Samantha's floor. I made my way to her door…and stopped dead in my tracks. Well, halted in my steps…I was dead with any step I took. _What am I going to say? Oh, hell, why didn't I think of this? You came to apologize, Jasper, what did you think you'd be doing, staring at her hoping to telepathically transmit your thoughts? Stupid, stupid, stupid—_

As I berated myself, the door opened and revealed beauty.

_**My POV**_

I saw Jasper outside my door and nearly fainted on the spot. At first, I thought he might be a hallucination, since he had been on my mind constantly since Alice had left. When I heard his ragged breathing, I realized he was really here…outside my apartment. _What the hell is he doing here? It's 10:30 at night!_ I snapped out of my reverie and spoke.

"Hi, um…I was just going for a walk. I was feeling really anxious and I needed to get rid of the energy…can I—would you like to come in?"

He seemed amused as he nodded, following me in as I turned back into my apartment. I stood by the door, waiting for him to pass, then closed it behind him. Gesturing to the love seat, I nervously tried to think of something to say to the gorgeous man in front of me.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?"

The amused glint in his eyes was getting really annoying. It was like he had an inside joke that he wasn't sharing. I took a deep breath, tampered my temper, and calmly waited for him to answer.

"No, thank you. I didn't come for cocktail hour, Samantha."

"I realize that. Jasper…why did you come here?"

In a flash, I remembered the letter I had sent to him through Alice. _Oh, hell. He's here about that. Well, might as well bite the proverbial bullet and wait for the running and screaming._

"You got my letter. Right? That's why you're here?"

He smiled slightly, tipping his head in my direction. I waited for him to say something. The ball was in his court…I'd lain myself bare, so it was up to him. I plopped down next to him and waited. When he finally did speak, it was in a long torrent of words, like word vomit.

"Samantha, I can't apologize enough for how I treated you today. Me getting angry was…uncalled for and I just wanted to apologize for it. After reading your letter, I understand entirely what you were doing. I've done it myself all of my life. You were trying to protect yourself! I, above all others, should have known better.

"I also wanted to come here and tell you how terribly sorry I am about the miserable excuse of a man you call your father and the scum Lucas. No one should be made to feel less than they are, and those…ingrates did just that to you. They were the ones who were wrong, Samantha. I know I've only just met you, but I already see how special you are, and they threw you away like yesterday's garbage. Your father threw your brother and saint of a mother away, too. Only stupidity—"

I had to cut him off. Tears were streaming down my face as I laid my hand on his arm. He turned glazed over eyes at me, the anger and grief showing through. He cursed viciously and sighed, looking away.

"Now I've mad you cry _again_! How much of a monster can one man _be_ in one day?"

I shook my head and took his large hand in my own. Nearly gasping at the contact of my warmth against his cool skin, I squeezed until he looked at me.

"Jasper, that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I know how clichéd that is, but only my mother has ever complimented me and meant it. Hearing the truth from you was a huge compliment…thanks," I said, smiling up at him. His answering grin was amazing.

"I see. That's another one of my problems, I think. Even knowing better, I jump to conclusions about people, so I'm not going to assume that your words mean what I think they do. Can you forgive me, Samantha?"

"Yes, but only if you can forgive me for being so rude when you were only trying to be nice to me."

"Of course. But, you need to know that I wasn't just being nice when I told you that your voice is gorgeous. It really is…"

"Thanks. You're only the second person to ever tell me that."

His head tilted to the side, curiosity clear in his face.

"Really? Who was the first?"

"My mom."

He smiled, his fingers rubbing gentle circles in my palm. This calmed me almost instantly and I felt the pressure in my head vanish.

"Then she's a woman of great taste as well as intellect."

I looked at him quizzically for a second.

"Nobody talks like that anymore, Jasper. It's so…romantic, dated. I think that's why I love reading Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters so much. That flowery, verbose language."

My happy sigh brought a chuckle from Jasper. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, amused for some unknown reason.

"I agree. No one respects the past anymore."

After this, we lapsed into a comfortable silence, Jasper's hand still holding mine. As I caught a glance of the clock, I started. _12:00? Holy shit! Oh, well…at least I don't have to work tomorrow._ At that thought, I felt the calmness take over my body again.

I looked over at Jasper, whose head was lolling over the back of my couch. His breathing was steady and his face was completely relaxed. If it hadn't been for his fingers still soothingly moving in my palm, I would've thought he was sleeping. As if he felt my gaze on him, his eyes opened and he smirked at me.

"I thought you'd fallen asleep on me. Isn't it past your bed time?"

Rolling my eyes, I flopped back on the sofa, mirroring Jasper's position.

"I'm not five, Jazz. A twenty-two-year-old woman knows when to go to bed."

I smirked at him. My eyes connected with his and I saw something odd in them.

"What's wrong?"

"You called me Jazz. No one has for…a long time."

I blushed and looked away.

"Sorry. I won't do it again."

He squeezed my hand, making me look at him.

"I didn't say I don't like it, Samantha."

Ridiculously pleased, I smiled and allowed my head to fall back once more, searching for something to say to him.

"So…what now?"

He chuckled, making me tingle form my head to my toes.

"I'm not sure. Do you mind if I stay for a while longer, or are you tired. It's almost one o'clock in the morning."

"I don't mind. Surprisingly, I'm not too tired. Would you like to watch a movie? I have about a gazillion to choose from, so…"

"Sure. Let's see what you've got."

We took about ten minutes to argue over which movie we should watch. I thought we should watch _Gone With the Wind_, which is the best movie ever, but Jasper staunchly turned that down.

"Absolutely not! Those damn Yankees misconstrued everything! I won't abide that, no ma'am."

I giggled at his hysterics and replaced the movie on my shelf. _If I didn't know better, I'd think he'd personally shot down a couple of those 'damn Yankees.'_

"Okay, smart guy. What movie can top Margaret Mitchell's genius?"

He pulled out my copy of _Casino Royale_. I laughed and pulled it from his fingers, opening the case and slipping the disc into my player.

"James Bond? I don't think so, but I'd have to say it has potential."

I settled back onto the couch beside him then, my left leg tucked underneath me with my back flush with the cushion behind me. As we watched the movie, we would critique the mistakes, shots, bad writing/acting, or whatever else came to our minds. By the time it finished, I found I was staring to get tired, but unwilling to ask Jasper to leave.

"Are you up for another movie?"

"I could watch one more. How about we watch your favorite…well, second favorite," he said with a smirk, remembering our _Gone With the Wind_ fiasco. I grinned and moved to my movie shelf, trying to be secretive about my choice.

I made a big show of pulling the movie off the shelf and quickly spun around, hiding it behind my back. Creeping towards the player, I kept my eyes on Jasper. I stuck my tongue out at him like a two-year-old, laughing when rolled his eyes. I finally reached my destination and spun again, this time keeping the case in front of me. I put the disc in the player and went back to claim my spot on the sofa. As the opening titles rolled across the screen, Jasper's sudden laughter startled me.

"What?"

"Samantha, are you serious? _The Princess Bride_?"

"Yes. There is nothing wrong with this movie. The actors are comedic geniuses and the script is hilarious. I mean, come on! 'Wuv, twoo wuv…' Sorry, but that's classic."

He grinned wickedly at me, and I felt my heart skip in response.

"'There is a shortage of perfect breasts in this world…I would hate for you to damage yours.'"

"Oh my GOD! You love it, too!"

He chuckled, tapping his finger on the end of my nose. _That was ADORABLE! Okay, focus, he's talking…_

"I whole-heartedly agree. This movie is classic. Emmett and I constantly annoy Edward when we use quotes from it. He and I made every sentence rhyme for an entire hour one day…"

"I like Emmett already," I said with a wink and a smile. I glanced at the television and noticed that the grandfather was already talking to the little boy.

"Okay, shut up. The good part's starting."

My attention was rapt upon the movie until I felt Jasper's fingers rubbing those damn circles in my palm again. My brain seemed to turn to mush, as did all of my muscles. I heard my sigh of contentment and blushed when I also heard his chuckle. After a few more seconds, I ceased caring and felt my eyelids start to flutter. The last thing I would remember later was Jasper's voice murmuring in the background and feeling myself float through the air and snuggling into the coolness surrounding me.

_**Jasper POV**_

I could almost feel her body relax muscle by muscle. As she became boneless because of my calming waves, I smiled to myself. I had felt her weariness from the moment she recognized it herself. Her fight to stay awake amused me more than it should have and left me confused as to why. _The brave little soldier, ready and willing to battle at a moment's notice. Sorry, darlin' but not even the strongest could fight me off._ I knew intellectually that sleep was good for her and without it she'd suffer, but a less rational part of me mourned at the loss of her company. As I let her drift deeper into sleep, I thought about the hours we'd just spent.

She was witty and constantly a surprise. All of her little quirks were an amusement. Her refreshing honesty and bluntness made me respect her all the more. Most who had gone through the nightmares in which she had lived would come through the other side much more damaged than my fair Samantha had. They way she'd said my name…like she'd be the only one to ever call me 'Jazz' again was enthralling, enchanting, and made me feel like I could burst with contentment.

She turned slightly, a sigh escaping her lips. I could see her starting to enter REM sleep, so I picked her up and started toward her bedroom. _She weighs almost nothing. Does she ever eat? She'll make herself sick if she—_My mental rant was abruptly cut off when she began to stir in my arms. I murmured to her softly.

"You're okay, darlin,' it's all right. Hush now and go back to sleep for me."

My long dormant heart jumped out of my chest when she sighed and burrowed herself into my chest. Her scent swirled around me, her light gardenia smell, but there was no blood lust. I nearly dropped her when this registered with my addled brain. _I'm not thirsty! She doesn't make me thirsty! How can this be?_

I snapped out of my reverie when I felt her start to shake from the cold. I kicked myself a thousand times in my head and hastened to bedside, silently moving her covers and gently laying her atop them. I tucked her in, watching her wriggle deeper into the warmth the blankets provided. A slight smile crossed her lips and I felt a matching one find its way to mine.

"Sleep well, my fair Samantha."

I hated to leave her, but I needed to speak with my family about what I'd learned. My lack of blood lust should have registered with me before, but I must have been too wrapped up in our emotional turmoil to notice. This was a development that we needed to discuss as soon as possible.

_**My POV**_

_I stare at him incredulously. Is he for real? My eyes wander around the room. No, he can't be. It isn't true. They can't be—_

_"Samantha, please."_

_The raw emotion in his voice makes my gaze snap back to his._

"_I…what…Jazz…"_

_His eyes close, but not before I see the terrible pain in their depths. Knowing I was causing it makes my stomach turn._

"_I understand, Samantha. You can leave, if it pleases you. I promise, if you want me to leave you alone…your wish is my command. All I ask is that you tell no one what I've told you. It's imperative for both of our survivals."_

_In a haze, I stand, stumbling my way to the door. I find the knob with my searching hands, suddenly spinning around and wrenching it open. I nearly throw myself onto the floor to get out, to get away. One last glance lets me see him staring at me, forlorn and lost. I—_

The slamming of my next-door neighbor's front door quickly awakened me from the surreal dream I'd had. _What the hell did that all mean? Jasper was trying to tell me something…it had scared the crap out of me, enough to make me run away from him. _Shuddering, I pushed the terrible thoughts from my head and got out of bed.

Songs for the chapter: **Taking Chances-**Celine Dion & **Storm-**Lifehouse

_**What'd you think of this last installment? If you liked it (or hated it) and want more (or think I need to fix stuff), REVIEW!! I've had over a hundred hits on the story and only three reviews. Reviews make me want to write, thus update faster. I already have four more chapters all finished. So, to get them faster and also get a chunk from the next chapter, review and tell me what you liked about the chapter and what could be changed if you didn't. Thanks for reading! Samantha**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thanks again to .twilight.is.here. for her review. Feedback is always great and yours is always fabulous! Okay, here's the longest chapter yet:)On with our sordid tale!**_

**Chapter 6**

An hour and a half later, I was ready for work and out the door. Since there were no estate sales or flea markets scheduled for today, I decided to finish inputting inventory data in our checkout system. My butt was also dragging from the late night with Jasper, and the lack of places to find inventory gave me an excuse to stay closer to home in case of physical overload. Thankfully, the lack of physical work would allow me to use the four hours of sleep I had to the max.

To wake myself up as I walked, I had my iPod blaring in my ears. As I listened to a mix of The Classic Crime, Aerosmith, AC/DC, and Korn, I could feel the haze slowly clearing from my head. By the time I reached the shop, I felt happiness and anxiousness flood my being. I found myself smiling and was baffled with myself. _I didn't go to sleep until three in the morning and I was up at fricking seven! How the hell am I even functioning, much less in a good mood? _

As I rounded the final corner and caught sight of what was waiting for me in front of my destination, I had my answer: Jasper. He was standing on the front stoop, seemingly waiting for me. His grin was the size of Texas and I felt my smile match his within seconds. Nearly bouncing, I made my way down the sidewalk.

"Good morning, Samantha. I hope you slept well."

The memories from last night came rushing back... his voice murmuring, the coolness carrying me away. I made the connection lightning fast when I saw the wicked gleam in his eyes. I found myself smirking as I responded.

"Yes, I did. I am really sorry for blacking out on you like that. So much for being good company in your own home."

He gently took my hand as my other one searched through my purse to find the key to the door. I nearly dropped it in shock at the sensation that flowed through me at his touch. _Please, God, never let this stop. This is AMAZING!_

"Don't be ridiculous. It was nearly three a.m. No self-respecting person should be awake at that hour, much less want to be."

I rolled my eyes as I regained my concentration and found the key, unlocking the door and stepping inside to avoid the rain that had begun to fall.

"You seemed fine, Jazz. In fact, you were fine enough to get me into bed."

I spun around quickly when I heard him choke, desperately worried.

"Are you—wha—Samantha?!"

His reaction had me stunned…until I thought about what I'd said. When I did, I turned red with mortification from head to toe.

"Oh, my God! I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I just meant that you were well enough to carry me there after I fell asleep. Ugh! I am _so_ sorry…you must think I'm a total harlot now. I swear that was not a come on, I--"

"It's all right. I'll admit to being shocked, but there wasn't any harm done. Now, you never did explain why you were here and not sleeping."

Grateful for the change of subject, I gestured toward an oversized chair while I ducked behind the counter. I spoke with my head stuck in the cabinet directly under the register, attempting to start up the damn thing.

"There aren't any sales or markets around today, so I can't go looking for inventory. I knew that I still had to put what we've got into the software system, so I thought today would be a good day to do it. I'm sure I'll be finished by lunch time."

"Ah. Then you can go home and nap, yes?"

The millisecond of blissful remembrance of my warm bed had me sighing.

"Yes, thank goodness. Four hours of sleep does _not_ a happy Samantha make."

Finally getting the damn system to start up, I stood to my full height and grinned at Jasper, only to see him with a sorrowful expression on his face. I looked at him quizzically, tilting my head to the side.

"I am sorry to have kept you awake for so long. It is my fault for coming to see you at such a late hour."

I smiled at him, feeling warmth spread through me at the worry in his tone.

"Please, don't be. I'm really glad you did. Okay, enough about me…what brings you here so early on a Saturday? You were awake later than I was."

His sheepish expression had my curiosity out in full swing. I waited for him to explain himself. When he finally did, I had to fight to stop my grin…which didn't work.

"I…called you this morning, and you weren't home, so I thought you'd be here. I know you said you don't work on Saturdays, but I needed to see you."

"That's good, because I needed to see you, too."

_I don't think I realized how much until I saw your face._

Grinning, I situated myself on the stool behind the counter, pulling out the hard copy of the inventory. As I turned on the monitor, I realized that Jasper would be bored to tears by watching me work. I awkwardly scrambled for something for him to do that would allow him to stay, if he wanted. I spotted the bottle of polish and the soft cloth on the counter in back of me, and inspiration struck. My grin widened as I turned back to him.

"I have a proposition for you."

His eyebrow quirked in my direction, incredulousness all over his face. I smiled.

"No, not that kind of proposition…damn, your mind goes to the gutter about as fast as mine…anyway, I have this old Victrola player that has a solid silver bell. It needs a polishing more than Britney Spears needs birth control. What do you say," I said, wiggling the bottle and rag, along with my eyebrows, in his direction. His laugh made my smile grow about twenty times bigger. He rose and walked to me, snatching the implements out of my hands while glancing around for the bell. I handed it to him.

"Here. You can drag that chair closer, so we can talk while we work. I'm just going to put my iPod on as background noise. Is that okay?"

"Absolutely. How on Earth do you have room for those speakers in that tiny purse," he asked me as I pulled out my iPod dock. I smirked at him as I hooked it up and plugged the system in. I walked to him and sat on the arm of his chair as I spoke. He'd put the bell and polishing supplies on the floor beside him.

"It's every girl's secret, Jazz. We can cram a shit load of stuff into a space the size of someone's fist. You should see how much stuff my mom and I can cart around if we have a beach bag or something. I once had three paperback novels, five bottles of water, my iPod, two cell phones and their chargers, a box of granola bars, two mini bags of Doritos, a bathing suit, a beach towel, and a package of sanitizing wipes all in one bag."

He looked kind of stunned…and a little bit impressed.

"Why would you need all of that?"

"Road trip to the lake," I said, making it sound obvious.

"Don't people normally drive to the beach?"

"Not if you live in the land-locked Midwest, you don't…unless you have a solid week and a ton of cash for the gas. College kids tend to lack of both. We drove to Clear Lake for a day in April of my sophomore year. That was the year that my friend Hannah pushed her brother and mine into the lake," I reminisced, cackling at the memory of their faces as they hit the water.

"That sounds like a story I'd like to hear."

I obliged, speaking over the strains of Chopin's 'Minute Waltz.'

"Both of us girls are obviously on the short side. I'm 5"3' and Hannah is a full four inches shorter than I am. Both my brother and hers like to make fun of us about that. Jay started by grabbing Hannah's book and holding it above her head. We both ganged up on him to get it back.

"We were victorious and had just settled back down to our perspective books (_Atonement_ for me and something about the Aaron Burr conspiracy for her) when my brother came and sprayed us with a squirt gun he'd hidden in his pocket. I was mondo pissed, as was Hannah. We chased their moronic butts to the dock, but I tripped over something on the way, so I went down. All I could do was sit back and watch five-foot-tall Hannah chase 6"2' monster Matt and 5"11' jackass Jay.

"At the end of the dock, they were trapped, so Hannah led them to the edge, and then gave each of them a ginormous smack in the middle of the chest. They went in and hit the water like sacks of potatoes. I thought I would die from lack of oxygen when they came out dripping like drowned rats, I was laughing so hard."

Jasper's laughter rolled over me, creating waves of warmth. I grinned at him and waited for him to calm himself. He was still chuckling when he spoke.

"I can see that so clearly in my head. My little soldier going down in the heat of battle. At least your first attack was successful."

The simple use of one word put his claim on me, and I found that I liked it more than I should have. I wanted him to claim me, so I could claim him in return.

"So was getting knocked into the lake by Wonder Woman…those boys jumped back when we even looked in their direction the whole way home!"

"That reminds me of something Edward and I did to our sister Rosalie once. She thought it would be funny to remove random parts from Edward's car in retaliation for some slight to her that no one but she could remember. I was supposed to ride with him to school the next morning. When he tried to start his car and heard the dead click, he went ballistic. No one touches that car and expects to live.

"He knew it was Rosalie. She's the only one of us besides him who knows how to incapacitate a vehicle in less than thirty seconds. Of course, Edward _had_ to retaliate. Emmett took himself out of it before we even started, unwilling to face the wrath of his then girlfriend, now wife. So, Edward begged me to help him think of something to do to Rose. We ended up trying to soak the interior of her BMW with water. It would cause the leather to shrink and crack as it dried, so she'd have to replace it.

"The plan, however, backfired immensely when we finally arranged it. Edward and I had no clue that she and Emmett were in the back seat of the car in a…comprising position. They were both soaked before a drop could get on the seat. She was up and out of that tiny car so fast, and she nearly had our heads then. Luckily, we were quick to move. I, unfortunately, was slower than Edward, so she caught me first and proceeded to tackle me and scream her head off right in my face. Emmett had to pull her off me."

I was laughing hard enough at this point to knock myself off the arm of the chair. Luckily, Jasper was sitting in the chair and stopped me from falling to the floor. Embarrassingly, I landed right in his lap. Our laughter abruptly stopped as we caught each other's eyes. My breath caught in my throat as I felt his body flush with mine. _This feels amazing…and so right. _

The shock went through me, and I could see in his eyes that he felt it, too. Light butterscotch suddenly darkened to amber in a flash. I felt my heart beat pick up in response. The need to kiss this gorgeous creature raced through me like nothing I'd ever felt. I felt my head slowly dipping towards his, my eyes now focused on his luscious lips. When I saw them inching slightly toward me, I secretly did a little happy dance in my head.

That lasted about two milliseconds. Jasper's lips on mine wiped every thought out of my head. The amazing coolness of his full lips against mine was more than I could bear, but I wanted more. Molding myself to him, I wound my arms around his neck, my hands delving into his thick blond hair. I felt his hands splay across my back, gently applying pressure. On a moan, my lips parted. I heard him growl lightly, and it sent a thrill through me.

Suddenly, I was in the damnable chair all by myself. I sat in dazed silence for about a second, but snapped out of it and looked around for Jasper. He was across the room, gripping at the wall as if it were a life raft. I noticed his eyes then. They were no longer butterscotch or amber…they were pitch black. My heart stumbled nervously in my chest. As if he could hear it, Jasper tensed. I stood, moving to walk to him.

"NO! DON'T MOVE, DAMN IT!"

The shock of his anger knocked me off my feet and back into the chair. My voice was shaky as I spoke.

"J-Jasper…"

"I can't do this, Samantha. I am terribly sorry."

"But…"

Before I could finish my thought, he had disappeared out the front door.

_**Jasper POV**_

_What the hell am I doing? I cannot be involved with Samantha! Vampires can't involve themselves with humans! They're meant to be our food, for crying out loud! Besides, a monster like me has no right to take such fairness for my own. She's meant for better than me. _The other side of my brain, the irrational part, argued back. _You love her. You need her like air. You wouldn't ever hurt her. Nothing you do can change that. Just because you aren't the same doesn't mean certain doom, you yellow-bellied, slack-jawed idiot! Go back to her NOW and grovel at her feet, beg her forgiveness, anything! _

It hit me then that I had scared the living daylights out of my little soldier. I'd felt the jolt of nervousness go through her as she looked at me…her heart was beating so fast. I had made her collapse back onto the damnable chair with fear. She really must hate me now. She would think me a monster with my black eyes, the growling… my disappearance within a matter of seconds.

_Oh, shit! A monster! She's seen so much! What I did this afternoon was not normal. She's quick…she'll know what I am. Hell fire and brimstone. I have to explain myself._ I turned back toward the shop. Calling Carlisle on the way, I hoped I wasn't too late to stop her from telling the whole town what she'd seen. That would mean the end for the both of us.

_**My POV**_

When I realized that Jasper wasn't coming back, I allowed the tears I'd been holding back burst forth. They ran down my cheeks in a stream as I relived the events of the past five minutes in my head. _That kiss was the best I've ever had. I don't know where it went wrong. He moved so quickly, and his eyes…that anger…what the hell is going on here? We were kissing one second, and the next he's a statue in the corner. He obviously doesn't want me. He made that pretty clear. That's what he meant when he—_

My head jerked up as I heard the sound of footsteps on the front stoop. The door was still wide open after Jasper's lightning-quick exit. I looked to the doorway and saw him standing there, obviously hesitant. My pathetic attempt at a smile almost turned into a grimace when I realized how stupid it must look. I waited for him to speak.

"Samantha…we need to talk."

_Oh, Lord. That's original. Like I haven't heard that one before. Can't a man find something else to say when he tells you he doesn't want to see you anymore?_

"Okay. You can come in, Jasper. I won't bite you."

His harsh laugh confused me. _Okay…not going to be friendly, then. If that's how you want to play it, fine._ I stood, pointing to the chair and making my way to the counter to grab the stool. When I had placed it in front of the chair (but still feet away), I sat down on it and leveled him with a cool stare.

"You want to talk? Go ahead. You have five minutes."

He took a deep breath and finally looked me in the eyes. My breath hitched, like always. I nearly turned to mush when I noticed the torment in his eyes.

"Samantha, I owe you an explanation for my behavior. Please, let me finish before you say anything. This is important and you need to know right away."

At my nod, he started into his tale. When he'd told me the whole story, I sat in shock, thinking that I was going crazy.

_Vampires? Seriously? He and his whole family? He has to be lying. _I stare at him incredulously._ Is he for real? _My eyes wander around the room._ No, he can't be. It isn't true. They can't be—_

"Samantha, please, say something."

The raw emotion in his voice made my gaze snap back to his.

"I…what…Jazz…"

His eyes closed, but not before I saw the terrible pain in their depths. Knowing I caused it made my stomach turn.

"I understand, Samantha. You can leave, if it pleases you. I promise, if you want me to leave you alone…your wish is my command. All I ask is that you tell no one what I've told you. It's imperative for both of our survivals."

In a haze, I stood, stumbling my way to the door. I found the knob with my searching hands, suddenly spinning around and wrenching it open. I nearly threw myself onto the floor to get out, to get away. With one last glance I saw him staring at me, forlorn and lost. _I can't do this! It doesn't matter…he won't hurt me. _

I raced across the room, screeching to a halt right in front of him. He looked up and I saw the surprise in his eyes, as well as felt it coming off him in waves. _He's doing that himself. He's making me feel his surprise. _He made no move to touch me, most likely afraid to scare me away again. He stood stock-still. I was the first to move, reaching out and brushing his hair out of his eyes. The confusion in him now is almost palpable.

"You came back?"

He sounded so incredulous; I had to stifle my laughter.

"I didn't leave, Jazz."

"But…why? You should be running and screaming in the other direction!"

"No, I shouldn't. I know you won't hurt me, Jasper. You and your family are good people for doing what you do."

"We feed off innocents, Samantha! How does that make us good people?"

He jumped to his feet and began pacing. I turned and followed him with my eyes as I spoke.

"You save human life every time you feed on those animals. I eat them, too, Jasper. Does that make me a bad person? Because if it does, then I should really think twice about eating my weekly McDonald's cheeseburger."

"Of course it doesn't make you a monster. Eating animals for you is normal."

I was frustrated beyond belief. I had to make him see that he was good, because it seemed like he was using this whole thing as an excuse to stay away from me, and I would not stand for that.

"Did you eat meat before you were turned? A random piece of jerky now and then, ham at Christmas, whatever?"

"Yes, but—"

I was screaming by this point. He was really starting to piss me off with his 'I'm Satan reincarnated, fear me, mortal' routine.

"Damn you! It's the same thing! You just eat it in a different form! Who the hell cares how you eat it? And p.s., you guys aren't the only one to eat animals this way. I'm pretty sure I read once about a tribe in South America that drinks blood every day! And just so you know, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU ARE!! So, you can NOT pull this shit on me, Jasper Whitlock!"

I broke off, trying to catch my breath. Jasper stared at me, shell-shocked.

"Holy shit!"

I snorted, rolling my eyes. Turning back to the counter, I spoke.

"Very eloquent. Now, if you're going to mope around being all emo, I would appreciate it if you'd leave. I have work to do."

I flinched at the sound of the door slamming, and suddenly felt my heart fall out my butt. _He left! God, he _left_! What did I do?_ I collapsed onto the floor, cradling my face in my hands. I started to sob. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt coolness wrap itself around me. Jasper began rocking me, running his soothing hands up and down my back. I almost instantly stopped crying, but was still tense.

"You are a miracle, my little soldier. I admit to being a monster and you tell me you could care less. You yell and scream at me for thinking so badly of myself. Darlin,' you could convince the Pope that he's Protestant."

A small, watery laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. He took this as encouragement and continued speaking.

"Samantha, you made me feel…human for the first time since I was turned into a vampire. You, little soldier, beat some sense into my thick skull."

I turned in his lap, looking up into his face.

"Good. I'm glad that I can make you see what you really are."

His grin made my heart skip. He ran a finger down my cheek, catching a stray tear. Looking thoughtful, he gazed into my eyes.

"You know, I think I should lock you in a room with Edward for a few hours. After hearing you today, I know you could make him see it, too."

My mind brought up his brother's image for an instant. I saw no sign of the self-loathing Jasper had been dealing with.

"Edward thinks this way, too? Does your whole fricking family hate themselves?"

He laughed, and tapped the edge of my nose with his finger again. _I LOVE when he does that._

"Not quite. Esme, Carlisle, and Emmett seem to be okay with it. It's me, Edward, and Rosalie who have the biggest problem dealing with…what we are."

"Okay, then. One down, two more to go. Let me at 'em."

"Not that I wouldn't love to see you take Edward down a peg, but I think it's time for you to get some rest. Have you finished your work?"

I hopped off his lap, offering him my hand.

"I don't really care. I don't want to be here anymore. Do you want to come over for a little while? We can finish _The Princess Bride_."

His teasing tone made me happy with no apparent reason.

"Are you sure you can stay awake this time?"

"Shut up! I could have if you wouldn't have pulled you funky vampire voodoo on me. I know it was you that made me fall asleep. Don't you whistle like that, damn you! I'm smarter than I look, Jasper, so just admit that I caught you."

He sighed, a deep, long-suffering sigh that nearly had my composure breaking.

"Fine. I was the one who made you fall asleep. If you think that getting me to admit to it will stop me from doing it again, you aren't as smart as I think you are, private."

I rolled my eyes, gesturing towards the door. I spoke as I ushered him out and locked the door.

"Whatever. Can we go now? I'm dead on my feet over here!"

The wicked gleam in his eyes had me taking a step back. His chuckle made me even more nervous.

"Would you like to see how I travel? I can have you in your apartment in less than two minutes and you'll use no energy."

"Two minutes? Pffft…five, maybe, but not—what the hell are you doing, damn it? Put me down, you Neanderthal!"

He had picked me up, swinging me onto his back like I weighed five pounds.

"If you want to see how I move, hush up that pretty mouth of yours and hold on tight. You might want to wrap your arms and legs around me…that's it," he said when I'd reluctantly followed his instructions. He made sure I was securely attached to him and looked back at me over his shoulder.

"Ready?"

"Bring it on, Sparky. I still say you're full of SHIIIIIIIIIIIT!!"

I still claim to this day that I left my spleen on that sidewalk.

Songs for the chapter: **_The Coldest Heart-Classic Crime_ **& **_Awake-Godsmack_**

_**So...was that a rollar coaster ride or what?! I love writing angsty mixed with romantical stuff:) If you liked this...or even if you hated...leave a review for me. You'll get a nice tidbit from the next chapter for your time;) Also, you can leave me your real first name and you'll be included in the story later. And...prolly faster posts, since I have eight chapters waiting and ready... You know what to do! Thanks, Samantha**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hey, all! I've decided that I'm in a good mood and that my readers are fabulous, so I'm posting early...and I'm giving you two chapters! So, thanks go out to .twilight.is.here. and AN Zoriah for their reviews of Chapter 6. Enjoy and I'll see you at the end of chapter 8:) Samantha**_

**Chapter 7**

We were standing in my apartment in one minute, fifteen seconds. If I had been capable of coherent thought, I would have been pissed that Jasper was right in his assessment of our ETA. As it happened, the speed of the ride coupled with the blur of scenery had rendered me immobile and speechless. I was still locked around Jasper's torso, incapable of removing myself.

"Samantha, you can get down now. We're here."

All that came out of m mouth was a string of incoherent squeaking. His laugh sounded and his cool hands were suddenly reaching back to unlock my limbs. Against his freakish strength I stood no chance. When he'd disengaged my chokehold on his neck, my legs seemed to follow suit of their own volition. I would have dropped to the floor if Jasper hadn't swung me around and held me in his arms bridal style.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I think you should have closed your eyes."

"But—what—who—DAMN IT! Don't you ever do that to me again, do you hear me, Jasper? You can stop laughing and put me down now, you jerk. A little warning would have been nice," I chastised him as he sat me on the floor and steadied me on my feet. I rolled my eyes at his grin.

"That would have been absolutely no fun at all, darlin.' Now, what would you like to do with me, now that you've got me trapped here."

To shrug off the thudding of my heart, I literally shrugged and turned toward the kitchen.

"I dunno. I do know I'm getting something to eat; this human is starving because she forgot breakfast this morning…again."

The frustration I felt coming off him made me feel terrible that he had to sit around and waste time while I went all human on his perfect behind…which is why his next words came as a bit of a shock.

"Damn it, Samantha! You need to take better care of yourself. Skipping meals like that is irresponsible and dangerous for your health."

I rolled my eyes as I dug my box of cherry Pop-Tarts out of the cupboard.

"Yes, mom. I'm eating now, aren't I?"

He eyed the packet dubiously as I came back in the living room.

"If you consider that food. You need protein…you smell anemic."

"Just what every girl wants to hear. Jasper, I'm okay. Sit down, shut up, and watch this movie with me…please?"

His breath whooshed out on a sigh and I had to stop myself from smirking when _I_ smelled victory.

"Fine. Start it so you can finally take a nap."

I did so, while at the same time stuffing chunks of pastry in my mouth. By the time I was sitting on the couch next to Jasper, I'd nearly finished my second one. _Man…skipping meals really does a number on my system. I should probably stop that, especially so Jasper won't find out about it. _

"That takes talent."

I looked at him, confused. He raised an eyebrow.

"You ate those 'Pop-Tarts' and played the movie all within the span of forty-five seconds."

I shrugged, turning back to the movie.

"You learn to eat fast with my brother the garbage disposal in the house. If it's on your plate or in your hand when he finishes eating, it'll be in his pit of a stomach. And, I always ate breakfast on the run in high school. I lived about thirty miles from the building, so I had to be up at 5:30 to get ready and make the drive in time for first hour at 7:30. This pretty much meant bites of food between showering and getting dressed and packing Matt's and my lunches and my backpack."

"That makes sense, I suppose. Where was your mother when all this was going on? She could have helped you."

"Yeah…if she'd been home before midnight. She worked the night shift in a gas station by our house. So, I kicked my brother's ass into gear in the morning because if I didn't, he wouldn't go to school. I'm just lucky that my mom found a job at the school so she had the same hours as my brother, or college would _not_ have been an option."

I glanced back at him and noticed the anger on his face. I laid my hand on his arm, gently squeezing.

"What's wrong, Jasper?"

"I'm just thinking…"

"About what?"

"How much I'd like to find your deadbeat father and rip him apart with my bare hands. Your poor mother…and you. I'm sorry that you had to grow up so fast…you had to be a mother to your own brother."

I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Not a very good one. Apparently, I suck being a parent to a teenager. He hardly ever listened to me. When he did, he was so pissed about it that he did a shitty job at whatever I'd asked him to do…hence packing the lunches myself. Not that I don't appreciate you wanting to protect me, but Matt and I have already kind of written him off. We both figured he did it to us, so he was worth the same treatment."

"I agree with that, at least. He is scum and doesn't deserve you as a daughter."

I smiled at him, sliding my hand down his arm and linking our fingers.

"Thanks. Now, enough of my crappy paternal influence. Let's watch the movie, okay?"

He silently squeezed my hand and turned back to the television screen. Grateful, I did the same. Thankfully, I made it through the movie the second time around. I nearly flinched when Jasper glared meaningfully at me when the end credits rolled.

"What?"

"You need to sleep, darlin'. Four hours of rest is not enough."

"I've had worse nights of sleep and lived through them, Jasper. I can always go to bed early if I get too tired. Please, stay and talk with me?"

The whooshing sigh surfaced again and I smirked. _I'm guessing that means I won. I'll have to listen for that sigh in the future. _

"Damn it. All right, fine. I'll stay. Samantha, you could con an Eskimo into buying ice. You know that, don't you?"

"My mom says that all the time. Despite that, I really can't. I'm actually a terrible liar…and salesperson."

I could have sworn I heard him mumble under his breath then, something like 'must just be me,' but I chose to ignore it. Knowing that I had Jasper to do with whatever I pleased, I sat thinking about what we could do together. _Running is totally not an option. We just finished a movie. I'm not feeling juvenile enough for a board game. My work at the shop isn't urgent, so screw it. _My eyes suddenly lit on my box of books, waiting to be shelved. I bolted up and quickly crossed the room to grab the box and drag it to the couch.

"What are you doing now? Is this some sort of manic phase I need to watch for in the future? I can normally feel something like this coming, so…"

I barely resisted the urge to chuck a book at him and aim for his forehead. I did, however, spare him a glare over my shoulder as I continued digging through the tightly packed box.

"I'm looking for a book. I thought you'd like to read it. Hah! Found you, you little shit!"

I rolled my eyes as Jasper chastised me for my language with a disapproving cluck of his tongue.

"Whatever. It's not like you haven't heard it before. When you're around as long as you, nothing gets by you…especially with the super hearing. Stop trying to get me off topic. Here. Have you read it before?"

I handed him a copy of _Wuthering Heights_. He looked over it thoughtfully, perusing the covers and peaking inside at the text.

"I don't think I have, which surprises me with Esme in the house. She's a fan of the Bronte sisters," he said at my quizzical gaze.

"Hmm. Well, now you'll read it. I personally think the characters are abominable human beings, but I suppose they have some redeeming qualities. Maybe hearing you read me the book will give me perspective?"

I looked at him hopefully, pasting on my widest smile. He laughed and pulled me onto the couch with him, settling me into the crook of one arm while opening the book with the other. I nestled my head on his shoulder and listened to him read. The slow, rhythmic pace of his voice soothed me, but he knew better than to take it further and make me sleep. His random outbursts made me laugh. I agreed entirely with most of his observations, but the incredulous way he critiqued Cathy and Heathcliff amused me. The fact that he'd seen a century and a half's worth of the dark side of humanity and could still not believe what people could do to each other baffled me. I said this aloud once and he rolled his eyes.

"Samantha, these two idiots claim to love each other, have known each other for their whole lives, yet they rip each other to shreds. How can you be so cruel to someone you say you love?"

"I know that you can be so frustrated with someone that all thought of their feelings kind of goes splat onto the floor. You do or say something before you can censor yourself. Haven't you ever done that with your siblings, or your parents?"

"I guess I have, but when you have eternity to be around the other, someone has to bend and make amends. It would be pretty uncomfortable to be feuding with someone you have to live with forever."

"Well, duh. All of the awkward silence, the death glares, the subtle sabotage…I shudder to think of it."

This random dialogue went on for the entire first half of the book. Around then, I happened to glance up at my alarm clock, blaring the time at me in bold green numbers._ 8:00? How did the time go by so quickly? If I don't eat, Jasper is going to kill me! I should probably interrupt him…in a minute…maybe…oh screw it. I can eat when we finish. _

However, this plan was foiled by his damn vampire scent…and maybe by the fact that my stomach let out a gigantic growl, effectively sending Jasper into hysterics. I pulled myself to the corner of the sofa, leveling him with an annoyed glare. After about five minutes, I got tired of being laughed at, so I reached behind me and grabbed the accent pillow, proceeding to smack his gorgeous face with it…dead center. I was so proud that I'd actually hit him where I meant to. I smirked at him when his laughter immediately stopped, followed by a shocked stare. Laughing, I reached over to pat his cheek as I stood.

"Lesson number one in Samantha 101: don't piss off the instructor. I'm going to find something to eat…did you want to sit here laughing like a demented clown, or would you like to come and sit in the kitchen with me?"

The pout he sent in my direction at my dressing down almost cracked my hard-ass façade. If I hadn't turned away and strolled into the kitchen when I did, I would have blown it. Seriously…blown it by throwing myself at him and kissing that pout right off his lips. _I warned him that my mind always goes straight to the gutter. It isn't my fault he ignored me. _

I heard his light steps following me into the kitchen. Pulling the chopped ham, butter, and bread from my fridge, I quickly and efficiently made myself a sandwich. I pulled a plate out and cut the sandwich in half, debating the presence of chips in my meal. All the while, he'd been standing in the doorway watching me move around. I knew on an intellectual level that this should have creeped me out, but I actually kind of liked the attention.

Deeming my meal finished, I turned to find Jasper already seated at the table, his eyes penitent. Smiling, I took my bounty with me and sat across from him. Taking a bite of sandwich to please me as much as him, I waited for him to speak.

"I have to say that you never cease to amaze me, my little soldier. That sneak attack from you was sheer brilliance. I also have to say that I completely deserved it. It was rude of me, and I'm sorry."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

"You should _know_ that I was done being pissed at you the second the pillow hit your face. And it's pretty much _not_ my fault that my system makes funky noises. I'm human, deal with it. Are we good? Can we _please_ stop talking about Sam's most embarrassing moments?"

At his nod, I relaxed and took another bite of my sandwich. Jasper patiently waited while I ate, keeping up a steady stream of one-sided conversation. As I half-heartedly listened, I thought of the past forty-eight hours. _Two days ago, I never would have thought this was possible. I still can't believe that he wants to be here. What is it about me that draws him? I can't think of a single thing that would. He could—_

"Samantha!"

My whole body jerked in reaction. My eyes snapped to his. I could see the anger in their depths.

"What are you thinking?"

"Um…I dunno."

_Shit. Wrong answer._ He exploded.

"Don't lie! I know what you're thinking because I can feel it. You're feeling insignificant, ergo you're feeling worthless. Have I not shown you that you aren't? Hasn't your mother, your brother, haven't your friends?"

"Yes, but I don't think—"

"That's right, you don't think. Damn you, Samantha! I love you. If you figure out that that makes you worth everything to me, then you find me. Until then, I'm out of here."

He was gone faster than my brain could register. _Holy shit! He loves me? He loves me! Oh my God, he just left! I have to stop him. I have to tell him I love him, too._ I stood, running to my front door. I found it wide open after Jasper's exit with no sign of him beyond it. _I guess I wasn't worth enough to wait around for. He couldn't even wait five seconds for me to respond. I don't care. I have to talk to him now._

I ran back into my living room, slamming the front door behind me. Seeing my cell phone on the end table, I lunged for it, dialing his cell as fast as I could. When I got his voice mail, I cursed and waited through the impersonal message. When I heard the beep, my own spew of word vomit came rushing out of my mouth.

"Jasper, it's me, please call me back. I'm sorry. Please, we have to talk. Call me when you get this. I love you."

I disconnected the call, tossing the phone onto the couch. All that could be done now was to wait. I hated that, but there wasn't anything for it. I crawled to the sofa and pulled myself onto it, clutching the phone in my hand. The last thing I remember before the blackness of sleep took over was staring at that damn phone, waiting for it ring.

Jasper POV

_How can she still feel like she isn't worth anything? Haven't I shown her that she is worth more than I can say? I LOVE her, for crying out loud. How much more worth while can someone be? _My phone started ringing in the console where I'd tossed it. It was her cell phone. _ I can't face her right now. She can leave a message._

A few seconds later, I heard the beep telling me that she had done just that. I was determined to not listen to it. But, after about thirty seconds, I found myself reaching over and dialing into my inbox before I could stop myself. _Oh, well, I'm already part way there…stopping now would be a waste. _I put my pass code in and listened to her frantic voice.

"Jasper, it's me, please call me back. I'm sorry. Please, we have to talk—"

I hung up the phone in anger. I refused to let her get to me. When I'd told her that she could sell ice to an Eskimo, I knew I was lying. I knew that she could get _**me**_ to do anything she asked just by looking at me. If I talked to her, I'd cave. So, if she wanted to talk, she'd have to come find me. I was finished being the adult.

Songs for the chapter: **True**-Ryan Cabrera, **So Close**-Jon McLaughlin, **Realize**-Colbie Caillat & **Who I Am Hates Who I've Been**-Relient K


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_**My POV**_

I woke up the next morning groggy and disoriented. I attempted to roll over in bed…and fell smack onto the floor. _Right…fell asleep on the couch._ Cursing my now aching arms and head I stood slowly. After I was sure I was steady, I made my way to the kitchen for a glass of water. My mouth tasted like a cotton ball soaked in a whole lot of nastiness. Seeing the flakes of snow outside my window made me flinch. _That means it's freezing. Lovely. It's Sunday, so I can avoid it today. Thank God for small miracles. _

I refilled my glass and went back into the living room and plopped back onto the couch. As I caught sight of my phone, panic set in and the memory of what had happened rushed back, making me flinch for the second time in as many minutes. _Well, it's entirely my fault. I chased him away. Funny, he expected me to run._

I sighed and looked away from the phone, disgusted with what I'd done to Jasper. He was right…I'd been feeling a little worthless. It was nothing more than that simple question of what drew him to me. Now, curiosity has killed our relationship before it had begun. _How big of an idiot are you, really? _I sighed again as I thought of the answer: a pretty huge one.

Jasper POV

My entire family was ready to kick me out of the house. The foul mood I'd been in since I'd gotten home the night before was seeping into everyone else because I'd basically lost control of my power.

Focusing on anything at this point was damn near to impossible. She was all I could think of, the look on her face as I'd yelled then left her. As this memory went through my head, I had to fight to stay in the room to which I'd exiled myself. I had to fight to sty away from person who was everything to me now, knowing she was hurting because of me.

I closed my eyes as another wave of pain washed over me. My door slamming the wall snapped me out of my pity party, nearly coming off its hinges. Turning my head slightly, I saw my brothers standing in the opening looking murderous. I sighed, readying myself for confrontation. Edward was the first to berate me.

"Jasper, no one can stand you this way anymore. We're at each other's throats one second and nearly knocked to our knees with grief the next. Even Esme is considering throwing you out of the house. If you don't go back to Sam right now, I think we might."

The sarcasm was clear and thick in my voice as I spoke.

"And what, you brought Emmett with you to literally carry out that threat?"

His smile was thin and grim. I felt anger rolling off him in waves.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. So, what will it be?"

I was saved from responding by the ringing of my infernal cell phone. I glared at the thing, nearly prepared to toss it out the window. When Edward glared at me, I sighed and resigned myself to answering. I saw the name on the caller id screen flash and almost crushed the phone in anger. He had seen the name flash in my mind and motioned to Emmett. They advanced menacingly upon me, stopping three steps away. I rolled my eyes and prepared myself to answer. Hearing her voice nearly made me fall to my knees with want and relief.

"Jasper? Hello?"

"Yes, what is it?"

I saw Edward and Emmett flinch at the ice in my tone, hearing her breath hitch in the same instant. At that moment, I felt like a monster the most I had since I'd found out what I was.

"C-can I please speak to you?"

"I think we've said anything that needs to be said."

Sensing the end of the conversation, she began to panic.

"Jasper, wait, I need to talk to you. There's something I have to tell you. Will you meet with me…just to talk…_please_," she said on a sob. My breath whooshed out in a resigned sigh; I knew I would give her what she'd asked for.

"Of course. When and where?"

"Will you come back here…to my apartment? I'd like some…privacy."

I almost smiled at her reference to my mind-reading snoop of a brother. His growl at that thought did make the ghost of a smile cross my lips.

"All right. When should I be there?"

Her slight hesitation confused me.

"Are you doing anything right now?"

"No. I'll see you in ten minutes. Don't move, I'm coming."

"Thank you."

"Your welcome. In a few," I said, snapping the phone shut.

I looked over to see my brothers grinning ear to ear. Rolling my eyes, I bolted from the room, grabbing a coat along the way. Their booming laughter followed me out the door. _They aren't the ones about to get their hearts ripped out of their chests, damn them._

My POV

The hole I'd paced in the floor while making the decision to call Jasper again got bigger as I waited for him to arrive. I felt like my heart would explode. It nearly did when I turned to cut another swath in the carpet and saw him standing in the doorway. Ever fiber of my being wanted to leap at him, wanted his arms around me, but I knew I had to restrain myself.

"Come in and sit down."

He stiffly followed my instructions, closing the door behind him. I sat down next to him and nearly burst into tears when he flinched and scooted farther away on the couch. Trying to think past the stabbing pain in my heart, I spoke.

"Jasper, I am so sorry. I know how mad it makes you to know that I think badly of myself. There are reasons, but not excuses, like I've told you. What I haven't told you is that there is no way I can change that over night. I'm 22, Jasper. I've been this way for fourteen years. I'm trying, but—"

"But, what, Samantha? I am sick of always being the adult here, telling you how to act."

I stared at him, too shocked to move for a second. When I'd processed exactly what he'd said, I slapped him across the face…hard. You know what happens when human bone smacks stone? Yeah…thought so. Luckily, I knew it wasn't broken, but that didn't stop the tears. I saw Jasper nearly reach out to me and stop himself from doing so. This pissed me off all over again. I'd learned my lesson the first time, so I lashed out at him with my damn mouth.

"I'm not the one acting like a child here, Whitlock. Now, shut up and let me finish a damn thought! Good. Where was I? Right. I was saying that I'm trying, but it's hard to believe something when I've been told the opposite more than half my life. After last night, though, I think I finally started to believe you…storming out of here all pissed. I felt it, Jazz. I called you, but you must have ignored it, not that I can blame you for that."

"No, I didn't. I listened to it."

I felt the color drain from my face in shock.

"Oh…then why didn't you call me?"

"I figured you still hadn't figured it out, so I wasn't going to waste my time."

"Wait, so let me get this straight. The fact that I love you isn't proof that I believe that I'm worth something to you, even after you'd said you love me, too? What kind of—"

His hand over my mouth stopped my word vomit. I resisted the urge to bit his fingers to get his hand off.

"Stop right now. Did you just say what I think you said?"

My frustration had to have been in my eyes because I was feeling it up to my ears. I mumbled against his hand. Seeming to remember what he'd been doing with said hand, he removed it.

"I have no idea. What do you think I said? I'm not Edward, I can't read your mind. Spit it out!"

I reran my little tirade in my head, trying to find what he was so anxious to hear. Suddenly, I remembered. _Oh, yeah…that's it. Well, here goes. _

"Yeah, that…I love you, Jasper."

His grin could've lit twenty football fields. Before I could smile back, his lips were on mine, gently but fervently urging me on. I was happy to respond. When I started to get dizzy without air, we broke apart. At that moment, his cell phone rang from his pocket. He groaned and pulled it out, answering it without giving me an inch of space. This meant that I could hear Alice's scream of excitement. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, grinning the whole time.

I suddenly had a vivid mental picture of the little pixie jumping up and down with the phone on her hand and I couldn't hold back the chuckle. Jasper looked at me, curiosity in his eyes. I gestured to the phone while shaking my head, indicating I'd tell him later. He nodded, slightly smiling.

"I told you, Jasper! You really shouldn't bet against me."

"I can grovel at your feet later. I'm in the middle of something here, pix."

"Oh, hush, talking to me isn't going to kill either of you."

I could hear her talking to him quietly and I watched his face go hard for a second, then soften as he caught my eye. I grinned up at him.

"Give Sam the phone, Jasper. If you don't, I swear I'll come over there."

The phone was to my ear before I could even think of protesting.

"Sam!! I'm so happy for you! I should take you shopping to celebrate. I saw this gorgeous pink—"

"That's really nice of you, Alice, but—"

"No buts, Sam. Don't worry, we are going to have _lots_ of time together, so it doesn't have to be right now. And don't you dare think about saying no again. Besides, that's a silly reason. Consider it a gift, from one sister to another. I'd better let you go now, or Jasper is going to explode. Talk to you both later."

She disconnected before either one of us could get another word in. I sighed, handing the phone back to Jasper. He raised an eyebrow at my stunned expression.

"What the hell was that?"

"I think that was the first time Alice railroaded you into something."

He laughed as I groaned and buried my face in his chest.

"What was she talking about? She said that it was a 'silly reason' and to 'consider it a gift.'"

"Huh? Oh…she must have seen me saying no because I don't have time or money for a shopping trip. I'm guessing no one ever says no to her when she's in shopper mode."

"You figured that out fast. It's best to avoid betting against her. I really hate it when she gets smug because she was right."

I laughed and disentangled myself from him, keeping a hold of only a hand. He tugged my hand and led me to the couch. As I sank into its cushions, I realized how tired and hungry I was. _Well, what do you expect after a night on the damn couch and skipping meals. _

"You skipped breakfast again, didn't you? Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Yes to both questions. I never even finished the damn sandwich before I passed out on the sofa."

His sigh and cluck of the tongue made me grin as I let my head flop back on the cushions.

"I'm going to find you something to eat. Stay right here, I'll hurry."

"A vampire hunting for lunch in a cupboard full of food? That's a picture I'd like to have. Lemme see?"

"Nope. I'll be back."

Before I could respond he was out of sight. I heard the cupboard doors opening and closing and couldn't hide my smirk. _I wonder if he'll make something edible. This ought to be interesting. _Literally thirty seconds later, he was standing in front of me, holding out a granola bar.

"This will hold you for a while. You can make yourself something else after you sleep."

I snatched the bar away from him, a bit peeved a being treated like a two-year-old. Resigning myself to the treatment because I knew why he was doing it, I opened the wrapper and took a bite of the chewy granola.

"Thanks."

"Of course."

I rolled my eyes, reaching for the television remote and clicking it on. _Enough of watching the human eat. I need to check the national news anyway._ I put the remote back on the end table and grabbed Jasper's hand, pulling him onto the couch. Finished with my "lunch," I snuggled closer to him and put my head on his shoulder. I about had a heart attack when he one-upped me and pulled me onto his lap. I felt the wave of calm he pushed on me relax my muscles. My arms slid around his neck seemingly on their own. My contented sigh made him chuckle.

"This is nice."

"Yep. You should be sleeping, missy."

"I promise I'll go when the news is over. Please?"

His whooshing sigh had me fighting off a grin.

"Fine. Stubborn little soldier."

He started to rub soothing circles on my back, effectively turning me to mush. I felt the subtle wave of fatigue he sent at me and scowled.

"Cheater. Knock it off."

Another wave hit me, and this time speaking capability was gone. I was in the state between sleep and being awake. When he stood with me in his arms, I jolted back to awareness, but was still totally sleepy. I yawned and kept my eyes closed as I burrowed into him. Suddenly, I felt myself falling. I gripped onto Jasper tighter with my eyes still glued shut.

"Jazz…stay with me."

"I'll be here, I promise."

"No, stay _here_…please?"

I heard that sigh and barely registered being pleased before I was in the half awake, half asleep world. I felt Jasper next to, softness underneath me. I vaguely remember pulling myself closer to him and burying my face in his neck, inhaling his scent. The last remotely coherent moment was the kiss I placed to it as I slipped into sleep.

Jasper POV

That little moment had my stomach quivering for the first time in decades. Her gentle kiss on my neck, her warm breath in my ear, her whispered words running through my head…_I love you_…she finally understood. My little soldier had fought for me and won me over and I'd won her in return. The ecstatic happiness in my system made me want to yell out loud. If I'd known that our happiness would be shattered soon, I might have taken her to away and hidden us instead of watching her sleep like a lovesick fool.

Songs for the chapter: **Trying**-Lifehouse, **And So It Goes**-Billy Joel, **Stand in the Rain**-Superchick, & **Say It Again**-Marie Digby

**_So...I was really happy with the response to chapter 6, ergo extra chapters and early post. If you want little surprises like this more often, review! Tell me what you think and you'll get a tidbit of chapter 9 in return. Also, the offer still stands to write you into a future chapter if you'd like to leave your first name when you review. It'll be about chapter 16, so not for a while yet, but you'll be in the story:) Thanks for reading and please review! Samantha_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Happy Monday, all! Surprisingly, I am in a good mood on this horrible start to the week, so I'm posting two chapters again! Thanks to .twilight.is.here. and AN Zoriah for their reviews. See you at the end of chapter 10:) Samantha**_

**Chapter 9**

_**My POV**_

Quiet murmuring slowly pulled me out of my stupor. Not wanting to wake up, I moaned in protest and burrowed deeper into the cool comfort of my bed. When the mattress began to shake, I jolted awake instantly. I looked around and froze as I heard his laughter, realizing I'd actually been laying on him. Looking down into his glorious face, I smiled at him, loving the automatic grin that spread across his features. _He's mine! _I leaned down to lightly peck his lips and squealed when he knocked my elbows out from underneath me. This had me flattened against him, my lips barely centimeters from his. Loving the contact, but unsure of his control, I eyed him wearily.

"Are you okay, Jazz?"

"Never better, darlin'. How was your nap?"

"Good, I'm glad. I feel much better now. What time is it?"

He shrugged, wrapping his arms around me.

"Around two. Why do you ask?"

"No reason…except I need to get my lazy butt out of bed and do some unpacking. Wanna help?"

"Sure. Tell me what to do and it'll be done."

I quickly pecked him again and rolled off the bed, sending him to the living room to finish putting my books on the shelves while I put my clothing away. Being the borderline OCD person I am, I had to organize the layout of my clothing. I designated drawer one as underclothing, drawer two as t-shirts and other blouses that didn't need to be hung, drawer three as jeans and slacks, and drawer four as pajamas (which consisted of tank tops and badonkadonk shorts) and sweat pants.

It was as I was packing drawer one that Jasper came barging into the room. He had two books in his hands…which was better than what was in my hands: my silky black bikini panties and matching bra with pink bow.

"Samantha, I'm not sure how you want these books placed…"

He trailed off as he looked up from his evaluation of the paperbacks and saw me, frozen with embarrassment in front of the dresser. I'm sure I turned bright red from head to toe. _Wonderful. Now, he thinks I'm a hooker. Son of a—_

"I am so sorry. I-I didn't know you'd be—I mean, you were—"

I took pity on him and quickly stuffed the underwear into the drawer, slamming it shut. Sighing, I looked anywhere in the room but at him.

"No worries. What did you need to ask me?"

He cleared his throat and stepped over the threshold of the room, oozing awkwardness with each move toward me. I would have giggled if I hadn't been mortified.

"Um, I wanted to know how you want the books organized."

"Alphabetically by author. If there is more than one book by an author, alphabetize by title of the book. If it's a series, put it in chronological order. If you get bored, you can separate them into genres alphabetically by genre name. Same rules apply within those. Jasper, I am so sorry! I swear I wasn't trying to—"

"I know. Honestly, could two adults be more child-like about a pair of…underwear?"

I could swear I heard him gulp before that last word. _The good little Southern gentleman. That's kind of cute. _

"Samantha, this is not funny! I just saw your…lady's drawers and we've known each other for two days!"

_Oh, god, he is SO adorable he's upset. That accent gets that much thicker…and he slips back into that Southern vernacular. Oops, he can feel you, moron! Snap out of it!_ I berated myself for my side trip to la-la land as Jasper glared at me.

"I told you, I'm not upset. It's not like you saw me in them, right?"

I had to stifle a chuckle at his groan of frustration. Walking the rest of the way, I watched his face. As I reached him I could almost visibly see him tense. I laid a hand on his forearm and he jumped about a mile. Biting the inside of my cheek, I looked up at him. When I'd stopped the laugh from escaping, I spoke.

"Jasper, stop it. It's okay. No harm done. Calm down for me…please."

He whooshed out a sigh and closed his eyes. I rubbed my hand up and down his arm, quietly murmuring assurances to him. Within twenty seconds, his ramrod straight posture slumped with relaxation. _Holy crap! How did I do that? I did it all by myself! _I smiled up at him in relief.

"Thank God. I thought I was going to have to slap you again."

He pulled me into the circle of his arms then and I felt the vibration of his chuckle through his chest. _Weird…I can't hear his heartbeat. _I drew back to look in his eyes.

"Why can't I hear your heart?"

"Because it stopped beating the day I was turned."

"Oh…what other freak vampire stuff can you guys do? I really didn't learn a whole lot yesterday."

He smiled at me wryly, speaking in a dry tone.

"I can't tell you in the space of a few minutes. Ask me again tonight after you've eaten something. I'll tell you then, alright?"

"Sounds good to me. Now, let's get this crap unpacked."

**asdfExileasdfExile****asdfExileasdfExile****asdfExileasdfExile****asdfExileasdfExileasdf****ExileasdfExile****asdfExileasdfExileasdfExileasdf**

Three hours and much annoyance later, we'd finally finished putting all of my stuff in its proper place. I collapsed onto the sofa, more mentally than physically exhausted. My head lolled back on the cushions and I felt like a limp noodle. Just as I'd gotten comfortable, my volatile stomach decided to make its hunger known. I bit off an oath, dragging myself back off the comfy couch. I heard Jasper chuckling as he followed me into the kitchen.

"Are you sure you won't be bored just sitting there while I cook and eat and stuff? You can go—"

"Nope. Not moving. Get cooking, you're starving."

"Hardly," I mumbled, turning to do as he'd said.

Finding a box of angel hair pasta, I decided to make my favorite pasta dish. I could never remember the name of it, but I'd had an Italian chef show me how to make it once and never forgot that. I sat the box on the counter as I pulled a pan and colander from the cabinet under the sink. I filled the pot with water and put it on the stove to boil. With that task started, I went back under the sink to grab a skillet.

After sitting that on the counter, I went to the fridge to pull out a clove of garlic, some onion and some diced prosciutto. Putting these in the pan with some olive oil, I sautéed it until the pasta was finished. I drained it and put it in the pan with the sauce for a few minutes. After everything had cooked together a bit, I put it all on a plate and poured a glass of chardonnay to drink with it. I took all of this to the table and sat down across from Jasper, who had been silent the entire time I'd been cooking. Picking up the fork I'd grabbed, I hesitated. He smirked, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Eat. I can tell you about my family, if you'd like."

"I'd like that very much. Tell me whatever you want me to hear."

I repeatedly twirled pasta on my fork and awkwardly got it into my mouth without getting it all over. His voice was calming as I listened to him talk about Carlisle and the hospital, Emmett and their late-night wrestling matches, and other little tidbits about his family. It was obvious to me that they loved each other very much, regardless of sibling bickering. Before I knew it, the pasta on my plate was gone, as was the wine in my glass.

"Okay, it's seven o'clock and it's Sunday. In other words, there's nothing to do. You have any bright ideas, slick?"

He looked pensive for a minute, then grinned at me.

"Since I've told you so much about my family, would you like to meet them? Carlisle is off tonight and can explain everything about us better than I could. What do you say?"

My stomach dropped and I felt the color drain out of my face. He obviously felt my fear and chuckled.

"Scared of a house full of vampires?"

I shook my head, still unable to speak. Taking large, deep breaths, I closed my eyes. I felt the wave of calm he sent at me and felt my heartbeat and breathing slow.

"No, I'm not. They aren't going to like me, Jasper. I bet they'll hate me."

"You've already met Esme, and Alice and Edward for that matter. They all liked you a lot, darlin'. In fact, they ganged up on me and threatened to throw me out if I didn't come to see you, even Emmett and Rosalie."

I was slightly amused, but more mortified. _I was right. They know what happened, then, and they'll hate be for being such a bitch to their son/brother. But, if Jasper wants me to meet them, then I will_.

"Okay. One thing…how the hell do you plan on getting there? I am _not_ running again, and you guys live in the middle of nowhere."

"Good point. I'll run back, get my car, and come get you. It should only take about ten minutes."

"That works," I thought. _And it'll give me time to do something to look presentable. _"See you in ten minutes then?"

He rounded the table, taking my face in his hands. He leaned down and gently placed his lips on mine. My heart skipped a beat and I heard him chuckle.

"No more than ten minutes. I'll be back."

He was gone before I could return his farewell. _He's going to leave a Jasper-sized hole in the wall one of these days, then I'll laugh._ I shook my head as I rose from the table, nearly tripping when my leg tangled with the table's leg. Sighing, I made my way to the bedroom and started digging through my clothing, trying to find something appropriate.

I finally settled on a knee-length jean skirt and my favorite shirt. It was navy and had a scooped neckline, which left the option to wear on or off-shoulder. I chose to wear it on the shoulder and throw a white zip-up hoodie over the top, knowing I'd freeze. After giving myself a once-over to check my hair, which was frizz central so went into a ponytail, I found my navy ankle boots and was ready to go.

As I finished jamming my normal load of crap in my purse, a knock rang through the living room. Rolling my eyes, I made my way to the door. I berated him as I opened it.

"I knew you were coming, Jazz, you didn't have to knock."

He rolled his eyes while holding his hand out to me.

"Color me old-fashioned. Are you ready? Don't forget to lock the door," he said as I nodded and closed the door. Doing as he asked, I kept his hand firmly in mine. I turned and smiled when I'd finished and felt a bubble of nervousness pop in my stomach as we went down the stairs and out the door of the building.

He sensed my sudden anxiety and started up a stream of conversation about…well, I don't even remember I was that nervous. But, I do remember that his voice calmed me a bit. When we pulled into their mile-long driveway, my heart started to stumble along at twice its normal speed. My name snapped my attention to his face.

"What? I'm sorry, you said something?"

"Yes, I told you to take a deep breath before you hyperventilate. I promise, everyone will love you."

I did as he asked as he pulled the car to a smooth stop. He was out his door and had opened mine before I could blink. He offered me his hand and a smile. I clung to both as I made my way out of the car and up the porch steps. _Here we go…_

Song for the chapter: **My Idea of Heaven**-Leigh Nash


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The most gigantic man I'd ever laid eyes on suddenly pulled the door open. I took a step back in shock at his sudden appearance. Jasper's arm wound its way around me, his hand gently rubbing my shoulder.

"Samantha, this big oaf is my brother Emmett. Emmett, this is Samantha."

I fought back a sigh of relief at that information and offered Emmett my hand.

"Hi! It's nice to finally meet you. Please, call me Sam. Your brother and my grandmother are the only people I let get away with calling me Samantha. It makes me sound like a big ball of fluffy pink fur."

He chuckled and I felt it vibrate through me as he grasped my hand in his ginormous bear-like paw. I was right…I did like him already.

"Nice to meet you, Sam. I'm sure my pain in the butt—I mean, my brother—has already told you all about me."

"Yep. I told him I liked you already when he told me about the time you made your sentences rhyme for a whole hour."

"That did make poor Edward sour."

I grinned up at him, immensely pleased with his wicked sense of humor.

"Yes, but isn't he always dour?"

His booming laugh rang out as Edward's protesting yell sounded from the living room. We all ignored it.

"Jasper, you never told us she's hilarious! Way to hold out, brother."

"It isn't my fault you never listen to anything I say, Em."

I rolled my eyes, playfully pushing Emmett aside while disengaging myself from Jasper's grasp.

"Okay, enough arguing, boys. I'm almost a human Popsicle over here!"

I heard Jasper curse softly behind me and I turned to glance at him questioningly. The annoyance was clearly written all over him. Holding my hand out to him, I lifted the corner of my mouth in amusement.

"It's your house, genius. Come on."

Emmett's snicker had me glaring at him. He quickly stopped and disappeared into the living room faster than I could see. I sighed and rolled my eyes. As I felt Jasper's fingers link with mine, I turned my head to smile at him.

"Everyone is through here, in the living room."

"I figured, since that's the direction Emmett scampered off in. Chicken," I mumbled under my breath.

"I heard that, Mighty Mouse. I am _not_ a chicken. Where did you learn to stare people down like that?"

I shrugged, taking a seat on the comfy white sofa beside Jasper.

"My major in college was elementary education. You learn to stop kids from eating glue with a glare or your butt is in a heap of trouble. That, and my little brother is a pain, so I had to get him to leave me alone somehow."

A sweet, light voice that I recognized chimed in to the conversation.

"A good caregiver should be able to stop misbehavior with a look. Hello, dear, it's nice to see you again."

I stood, walking to her chair. Leaning down to meet her hug, I smiled.

"Hi, Esme. It's nice to see you, too."

"You're always welcome. I think you've met everyone except for Rosalie. Rosalie, this is Sam," she said as she turned to the tall blonde vampire standing in the corner.

Rosalie was undeniably the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. This alone would have intimidated me, but she was glaring at me with murderous anger in her eyes. I swallowed my fear and approached her, offering my hand.

"It's nice to meet you."

"I'll just bet it is."

She huffed and turned away. A quick rush of anger ran through me. _For Jasper, Sam. You have to be nice to her for Jasper. It doesn't matter what she does._ I took a deep breath and spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Rosalie. Have I done something to offend you?"

She rolled her eyes and bolted from the room at lightning speed. To say I was stunned was putting it mildly. I felt a cool hand on my shoulder and whipped around, terrified for the first time in this beautiful house. Seeing Jasper's concerned and angry face made the fear disappear.

"Come and sit back down, darlin'. My family wants to ask you a million and one questions."

As he'd obviously hoped, I smiled lightly at his comment. I put my hand in his and let him lead me back to the sofa.

"Okay. I am, as of now, an open book. What would you like to know?"

I answered multiple questions from each member of the family…save Rosalie and Emmett, who had bolted out after his wife. I couldn't help but feel that I had chased both of them from their own home and was intruding in some way. Jasper could, I know, sense this, and seemed to stay tense the whole time we were in his home. _I'll be defending myself for that later. _

After they had exhausted their curiosity about their brother/son's 'friend,' there was a momentary silence before Carlisle spoke up.

"Sam, I know that Jasper has told you some things about our kind. I also know that he left many things blank. Is there anything you'd like to ask us now?"

"Absolutely. First off, what's the deal with the whole heartbeat thing?"

My questioning was relentless for the next half hour. I finally got answers about their avoidance of sunlight, their aging process, Carlisle's theory on special powers, and most importantly (according to Jasper) their diet.

Carlisle's explanation about his reasoning for the "vegetarian" diet was moving, and I knew I'd been correct in my assessment of the whole family's goodness. Jasper also explained to me that my blood lacked the allure that other human blood did for him, that my scent didn't make him "thirsty." I appreciated their honesty with me and was glad to have been able to reciprocate with my own.

After our game of twenty questions, Jasper none too subtly hinted that it was my bedtime. I fought the urge to sigh and roll my eyes as I said goodbye to the Cullens, but ended up grateful in the end because I nearly fell asleep on the ride home. Jasper nearly had to carry me up the stairs.

Thankfully, I woke up enough to be able to get ready for bed on my own. I kicked Jasper out of my bedroom and quickly changed into my sleep combo: tank top and badonkadonk shorts. I saw him flipping through the channels as I made my way to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.

After I'd finished with my nightly rituals, I found Jasper still in the living room. I crossed to the couch and stood in front of him, blocking his view of the television. Nearly smirking at his grunt of annoyance, I climbed onto his lap. My sigh of satisfaction as I settled down was met by his hiss of approval. I put my arms around his neck, burying my face in the crook and taking in his delicious smell. When I started to fall asleep again five minutes later and he moved to carry me to bed, I gripped the collar of his shirt.

"No. Don't leave Jazz. Stay with me…please," I said after his hesitation. I was too tired to smirk as I heard his acquiescing sigh. I felt him lay down on the bed, curling himself around me after I'd gotten under the blankets. I snuggled into him, finally ready to sleep.

"You win, private. Battle well fought. Good night."

"Hmm…'night, Jazz. Love you."

"I love you, too, Samantha. More than you could know."

I drifted to sleep with a smile across my lips.

_**Jasper POV**_

I couldn't help but stare at the beauty in my arms. Samantha was my own salvation in the form of an angel. She was the only one who had made me feel human again. I felt like I was a good person when I was with her, she had so much faith in me. My love for her, and hers in return, made me clean again. My sins of the past were washed clean by the ferocity of her belief in my goodness.

Even as I was grateful for her, my sister's hateful feelings came back to me. Rosalie had been in a constant state of disgust, jealousy, and anger since Samantha had walked into the house. _Rosalie is the only one in the family who can't understand what I'm feeling. She can't grasp that depth of love for anyone who isn't her equal. She is human, therefore underneath our notice. Damn it all! How will I explain this to Samantha? I know she'll ask me. She's smart as a whip and misses nothing. _

"It doesn't matter," I muttered to myself, "I will not allow my sister to chase her away."

Samantha stirred in her sleep and I was afraid I'd woken her. When she simply sighed and pulled herself closer to me, I grinned and let my lips drift over her hair. She was my life now, and Rosalie simply had to accept it and move on. I wouldn't let my little soldier face this battle.

_**My POV**_

I felt something tickling my neck, just below my ear. Giggling, I tried to swat it away. It stopped for a few seconds, then became more persistent. This time, when I tried to slap at the offending tickler, an icy manacle gripped my wrist. I squirmed as I felt the tickling continue, but let it happen because I'd finally remembered what (or more accurately who) was in my bed, most probably doing the tickling.

As my annoyance reached its height, the tickling stopped. I suddenly felt something cool and damp in the same spot. My sharp intake of breath, I was sure, could be heard next door. The manacle moved from my wrist and smoothed a path up and down my arm, raising goose bumps along its way as the ministrations continued on my neck.

Jasper's wet, sloppy kisses moved down my neck, ending when he started to suck on the crook. I moaned aloud and tried to turn over. His arms trapped me, and a second later, I forgot why I'd been trying to move in the first place. I could hardly understand when he started murmuring to me.

"Don't move, darlin'. Stay right where I want you."

The southern drawl was thick now, and sent a new round of goose bumps across my flesh. I could feel my heart pounding and my hands and lips ached to return Jasper's favor. Apparently, he was too wrapped up in his work to notice my second attempt to move.

This time, I was successful and I slid my hands across his broad chest, moving them over his shoulders and gripping his shoulder blades. He hissed as my nails dug in when he started to use his magic tongue again. He worked his way up to my lips.

As we made contact, we both moaned. My hands went to his thick, soft hair. His went straight to my hips, putting light pressure on them. My legs fell open on their own and he crawled on top of me then, settling himself between them. Locking my legs around his waist, I shivered at the contact of his cool chest against mine through the tank top.

The shiver snapped him out of the delusion we'd both been wallowing in. Jasper pulled back, breaking all body contact in the process. I moaned in protest and I felt his weight leave the bed. My eyes fluttered open to see him standing with his back to me, staring out the window. The lines of his angular physique were so tense, showing his frustration.

"Jazz…"

He glanced at me over his shoulder then for an instant. I heard his sharp intake of breath before his eyes moved back to the view out my bedroom window. Confused by his coolness toward me I got out of bed, crossing the room. The tenseness I saw intensified when I gently touched his shoulder. _Christ, he acts like my touch hurts him. No…that's not it. He's avoiding my touch._ A sharp shock of shame and hurt coursed through me. I felt the tears starting to well up in my eyes. _Fine…that'll never happen again._

"I'm sorry, Jasper. I apologize for my actions. They were obviously unwanted."

At that, I nearly broke down in racking sobs. _I will not let him see me cry. _That's the only thought that went through my head as I ran out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. I slammed and locked the door, leaning against it and sliding to the floor.

For about a second, I sat in stunned silence. Sobbing took over my whole body then. I barely heard Jasper banging on the door and yelling. Because of his super strength, I realized he could just break down the door. Some part of me knew that he wouldn't, though; he couldn't take the chance that I was close enough to be hurt if he did bust in here like fricking Batman.

I knew in my head that I couldn't avoid him forever. My heart, though, was too hurt to handle the thought of seeing him again. _He lied. He said he loved me. He doesn't. I disgust him. The one man I've ever really loved is disgusted by the thought of me. How stupid am I? I thought I was worth something to him. I was right all along: I am worthless to men._

_**Jasper POV**_

_I have to stop this…if not now, I won't be able to_. As she wound her tiny hands into my hair, all thought flew out the window. My actions suddenly were out of my control. Coherency was gone, along with it my empathy. After I'd spread her glorious legs, I crawled on top of her, keeping my considerable weight from crushing her, all the while never breaking the kiss.

She locked her legs around my waist and I was all but lost. Thankfully, her small gasp brought me back to reality. _Oh, God, I hurt her!_ I pulled myself away and propelled myself as far away from her as the small room allowed. I stared out the window as I tried to calm my raging lust for my love.

"Jazz…"

At her breathless plea, I looked at her. Her hair was still mussed from the night's sleep…and my hands. Those delicate lips were red instead of their normal pink, swollen from my kiss. I could see her chest rising and falling quickly as she fought for air. My sharp intake of breath barely registered to me. _Stop looking at her! If you keep looking, you'll get back in that bed and hurt her even more._ I forced myself to look away from the glorious creature in the rumpled bed behind me.

Coherent thought, as well as use of my power, slowly came back to me. I heard her climb out of bed and cross the room. _Please, if she touches me…_ I tensed, resolving then to stay unaffected. Her warm little hand nearly burned me through my shirt. Her hand dropped and I felt hurt and shame rolling off Samantha in waves.

"I'm sorry, Jasper. I apologize for my actions. They were obviously unwanted."

I turned to her, but she ran out of the room. Moving to follow, I got to the door. Seeing the bathroom door slam, I knew instantly where she'd gone. I heard the lock engage and her body slide down the door and hit the floor with a thud. A second passed before I heard her heart wrenching sobbing start. I was at the door before I registered moving, pounding on it while I screamed for her.

"Samantha! Open the damn door! Let me in!"

I suddenly felt a quick burst of relief before I felt the torrent of sadness and worthlessness. _Oh, shit! She thinks I don't want her…she has to think I was lying to her this whole time. NO!_ I pounded on the door again.

"Samantha, please, open up. Darlin', I need to talk to you…I need to see your face. Unlock the door and come on out."

"Go away, Jasper."

"Not a chance, missy. Open the door."

Another heavy sob, then a deep breath.

"Leave…please."

All of my air whooshed out, knowing I'd lost. I could deny her nothing. I whispered to her through the door, my heart ripping at the thought of what I was going to do.

"All right. If that's what you want. I'm sorry, my only love. I hope you'll forgive me. Remember I love you, Samantha."

The sobbing started again when I'd finished talking. Her utter desolation was choking me. _I have to get some space. She needs time to think. I need to leave. _I raced out of the apartment. Yanking my cell phone out of my pocket, I called Emmett. I wouldn't risk leaving her unprotected, and she obviously didn't want me there.

He agreed to watch over her and spend some time with her, but only after he and the rest of the family berated me. I told him to get to her apartment as fast as he could and hung up, disgusted with myself. _I will never forgive myself for making her feel worthless. I am just like her father and that idiot Lucas. _

Songs for the chapter: **You Save Me**-Kenny Chesney, **Say (All I Need)**-OneRepublic & **Almost Lover**-A Fine Frenzy

_**What did you think: love it or hate it? Review and tell me either way. A review gets you the next installment faster **_**and **_**a chunk of the next chapter. It's a win-win, so...REVIEW!! Samantha**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Just a quick shout out to my reviewers: .twilight.is.here. and AN Zoriah. Thanks:) Okay, enough of keeping you in suspense. Here's some relief. Enjoy! **_

* * *

**Chapter 11**

_**My POV**_

I must have fallen asleep on the bathroom floor, because that's where I woke up when someone pounded on the door. The person was knocking loudly enough for the downstairs neighbors to hear. Not wanting another person pissed off at me, I made myself get off the floor and answer the door. I could see it shaking in its frame as I approached it.

"Damn it, I'm coming. Shut the hell up already," I mumbled to myself. I yanked the door open in anger. When I saw Emmett filling the doorway, shock ran through me.

"You know, some people say that a potty mouth on a lady is unattractive. Although, you seem to be doing a pretty good job of making people thinking you're ugly without saying a word," he said as he took in my disheveled appearance with a raised eyebrow.

I snorted and turned around, narrowly stopping myself from slamming the door in his face.

"Kiss my ass, Emmie. What the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

"Well, Sammy, I'm here because my dolt of a brother thought you needed some company."

"Pffft. One: you are lucky I like you or you'd be out on your ass for calling me Sammy. Two: like Jasper cares. Why are you really here? Did Rosalie send you to kill me at my weakest?"

He flinched and I instantly felt guilt run through me. I sighed, running a hand through my unruly curls.

"I'm sorry, Em. That was uncalled for. I should warn you I'm going to be shitty company for a while. You might wanna head for the hills, dude."

"And have Jazzy poo kick my ass? I think not."

He laughed as I dubiously stared at his ginormous muscles.

"Um, I hate to tell you and your brother this, but you can prolly take him. Do you want to sit down?"

I nearly flinched as I saw him do just that…causing my couch to bend a bit under his plop. Resigned, I sat down next to him and waited for him to say what he'd obviously come to say.

"Look, Sam, my brother can be an over protective baboon. We both know that. I hate to defend what he did, but that's all this whole mess is. When you were--," he trailed off, both of us embarrassed beyond belief. He took a second to recoup and dove back in.

"He thought he'd hurt you. I know he didn't or he'd be splatter on the pavement for it. That's why he stopped himself. He didn't want to do it again, so he stopped altogether."

"That's why he wouldn't let me touch him? _I_ can't hurt _him_, Emmett. Human, remember."

He sighed, turning to me and taking my hand in his.

"No, that isn't why. Hell, this is humiliating. He did it because he figured if you touched him he…he'd lose it and hurt you big time. That, and his silly gentlemanly values."

I giggled a bit at Emmett's scornful tone of voice.

"You're a thousand percent serious here, Em? This isn't some line he gave you to feed me?"

"No. In fact, if he knew I was telling you this, I can guarantee that he'd have started a fight before I could. Are you okay now?"

His eyes, full of concern and so much like his brother's, made me feel safe. Well, and the fact that Emmett weighed as much as a Mack truck and was built like one, too. I threw my arms around him, holding on for dear life.

"Thanks, Emmie. You're pretty sweet for a bad-ass vampire."

His chuckle vibrated through me. Unexpectedly, I felt tears well up in my eyes again. This whole family was so nice. No one except my own family had ever been as nice to me before.

"What's this, Mighty Mouse?"

I sniffled and drew back, looking into his big, lovable face.

"I'm not crazy, I swear. It's just…you guys are so nice to me. Well, most of you," I said, thinking of his wife.

"Yeah…about Rose. Sam, she's just worried about our family. She thinks that you are just some human that's going to ruin our life here by telling our secret."

"That's bull shit! I wouldn't!"

"I know that, but it's hard for her to trust anyone, really. Please, don't take her rudeness personally."

"Okay. Good to know. Em, can I use your phone?"

"Why?"

"I need to call Jasper and I don't even know where my fricking phone is."

"Um, about that…hekindofshuthisphoneoffandwedon'tknowwhereheis!"

I jumped up and started screaming.

"What? Can't Alice 'see' him or something? He might be in the middle of a bear attack right now!"

"Vampire, remember," he said, smiling to show off his white razor-like teeth.

"Oh, yeah," I said intelligently, plopping back down on the couch.

He chuckled, putting his tree trunk of an arm companionably around my shoulders.

"Time to play distract the human. You wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure. You can pick one. They're in the cabinet by the television stand."

Five minutes later, we were watching _The Little Mermaid_. Emmett and I apparently shared a secret love of anything Disney. By the time Ariel finally had her human legs I was halfway asleep. That was always me and movies during the day. It made me feel like I was in a movie theatre, and they're all dark and cold and…oh, never mind.

The point is I woke up for about thirty seconds when Emmett carried my now boneless body into the bed and tucked me in. When he murmured that they'd send Jasper here as soon as they could get a hold of him and he'd be staying until they did, I think I smiled and thanked him. After that, I was as dead to the world as he'd been since the 1930's.

_**Jasper POV**_

About seven hours later, I was finally feeling ready to talk to someone in the civilized world again, so I turned my cell phone back on. It beeped, telling me that I had messages. I grimaced. _Of course I have messages. My family probably wants to kill me for real now._ Sighing, I resigned myself to my fate and called Emmett. I had to check on Samantha. He picked up on the first ring.

"Jasper, where the hell are you?"

"I'm just getting back into Forks city limits."

"Good. Don't be mad at me, but—"

Panic rushed through me and I cut him off.

"Emmett McCarty Cullen, what did you do to Samantha?"

"Nothing. I just told her your side of the story."

"Oh…damn it. Why?"

"She was seriously in bad shape when I got here, man. I needed to tell her so she'd calm down. Even _I_ could see she was about ready to break. Um…I'm pretty sure she was passed out on the bathroom floor when I got here."

"Oh, God! Is she all right?"

"Mmmhmm. We had a talk, watched _The Little Mermaid_, and she konked on the couch. She's sleeping now. I think she exhausted herself this morning. Jasper, she asked to call you and kind of panicked when I told her we couldn't find you. You need to come and see her. I told her when I put her into bed that you'd be here."

"Okay. I'll be there in about three minutes. Don't move."

"Come here and be her body guard, then. She likes you better, anyway."

I laughed as I hung up the phone.

**JASPERSAMEXILEJASPERSAMEXILEJASPERSAMEXILEJASPERSAMEXILE****JASPERSAMEXILEJASPERSAMEXILE**

After I kicked Emmett out the door, I quietly snuck into her bedroom. Seeing her small, delicate body huddled under the sheets sent a wave of relief through me. I could see and hear for myself she was okay. Her breathing was slow and even, as was her heartbeat. I crept across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. As if she sensed me, she stirred and moved closer. I smiled, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"Samantha. Wake up. I'm home now. Open your beautiful eyes."

I sat back up and watched her come fully awake. Her eyes fluttered open and slowly focused on my face. She smiled as she recognized me.

"Jasper. You came!"

"Of course. I have to tell you how sorry I am—"

Her warm hand covered my mouth. I looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

"It's my fault, Jasper. I didn't think and jumped to the wrong conclusion. Ergo, my fault. I understand now."

I gently took her hand from my mouth, keeping it enfolded in mine.

"You know, I think we need to learn to say what we mean, darlin'. We always end up pissed off for no reason and we'd avoid that if we'd open our mouths."

She giggled, nodding.

"Yep. Can I go back to sleep now? Will you stay with me?"

"Yes and yes. We've both had a long day, haven't we?"

She murmured her agreement quietly as I lay down on the bed and pulled her into my embrace. _I was right. I am home. _

"'Night, Jazz. I love you."

"Love you, too, Samantha. Now go to sleep," I said uselessly, as she was already asleep by the time I'd finished my sentence.

_**My POV**_

I woke up the next morning reveling in the coolness of Jasper's arms. Sighing contentedly, I wiggled closer to him. Suddenly, I had a thought that had me bolting straight up in bed.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Something wrong, darlin'?"

"Um, yeah! Yesterday was Monday!"

I glanced at Jasper, who was staring at me blankly.

"Yes…and your point would be?"

"Work, Jasper! I missed it and never even called in sick. Kevin has probably reported me missing to the fricking FBI!"

"I can assure you he did no such thing."

Glaring at him, I threw back the covers and got out of bed.

"How the hell would you know? You aren't psychic and you can't read minds."

"Ouch. That hurt. And I happen to know because I called in for you."

Shock had me nearly slipping and falling on my butt as I tried to pull a pair of pants out of the drawer.

"You did what?"

He winced as I yelled the last word.

"I called in sick for you. Kevin also said for you to skip your Tuesday inventory trip and get rest because, in his words, 'we have plenty in stock and she needs to buck up.'"

"Oh, man. You're serious? You did that…and Kev said that?"

He put his hand over his heart and nearly leveled me with his cocky grin.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am."

He mock saluted me and had me rolling my eyes.

"Once a soldier," I muttered. He heard, of course, and laughed hysterically at himself. I sighed and put my hands on my hips, waiting for his laughter to stop. Once it did and he met my eyes, I leveled him with a long-suffering glare.

"Are you finished, Whitlock?"

"I think so."

"Good. I'm going to shower and change, and while I do, you can watch TV or…whatever…and then, I am getting breakfast because I am famished."

Surprisingly, he followed orders. After I'd finished my breakfast (homemade blueberry pancakes), I was ready to do something.

"Jasper, I wanna do _something_ today. I need to get the hell out of this apartment."

"That's a fabulous idea. Should we go to Port Angeles?"

"Anything is better than being cooped up in here. When can we leave?"

We were in the car and driving down the road in less than ten minutes…and that was only because I had to be all human and slow packing my bag for the day. Damn me _and_ my sluggish hide…not.

**JASPERSAMEXILEJASPERSAMEXILEJASPERSAMEXILEJASPERSAMEXILEJAZZ**

I avoided looking at the speedometer and the blurring scenery by docking my iPod and flipping through my bazillion songs. Jasper seemed both impressed and intrigued by my choices. _Well, this is his opportunity to learn about my eclectic taste in…everything._

As we argued about anything from who was the better singer of Drowning Pool (I favored the former while he favored the current) to Freud's crackpot Elektra and Oedipus complexes (he thought they may have merit while I felt they were absolute shit), the drive passed quickly.

Before I realized it, we were driving into Port Angeles city limits. We decided from there to walk around downtown. Ducking in and out of shops was oddly entertaining. However, stopping the multi-millionaire from buying me anything I took a second glance at? Not so fun.

After hours of that, Jasper insisted we stop for me to eat something. I spotted a tiny little Italian restaurant called Bella Italia. I had their chicken parmigana. When we finished there, the sun was starting to set. I figured this would be the perfect time to get him to take me to Hollywood Beach.

"Jasper, can we watch the sunset from the beach?"

"Absolutely not. It is freezing out here!"

"I'm fine. We've been out here all day. Please, Jasper."

I waited for the telltale sign of his defeat and leapt at him as I heard his sigh, all the while raining kisses all over his glorious face.

"Thank you! I love you! Let's go now!"

He chuckled as he set me back on my feet, keeping an arm around my shoulders.

"I love you, too, but I really should stop encouraging you like that. Getting your way all the time is going to spoil you."

I grinned up at him, snuggling closer as we walked.

"It's nice to get my way sometimes. You can say no, Jazz. It isn't like I can go all Lizzie Borden on your immortal behind."

He rolled his eyes and propelled me to a bench as he spotted it, forcing me to sit down with him.

"You have such an interesting way of putting things. I never expect half the things you say to come out of that mouth."

"It's talent. Shut up now. I wanna watch and you're ruining the ambiance."

He chuckled and I smacked him on the chest, glaring up at him. When he had the decency to look sheepish, I smiled and burrowed back into him. We watched the color fade from the sky for a while before he decided I'd had enough cold. I rolled my eyes as he practically carried me to the car and proceeded to pull a blanket from the back seat. When we were on the road again, I glared at him.

"I'm wrapped up like a fricking burrito over here! You really are a hypochondriac aren't you…only, you're paranoid about _my_ health, so that makes you a…oh, this is great!"

"What is it," he asked, clearly confused.

"You're a _my_pochondriac!"

His groan had me laughing to myself the whole rest of the ride back to Forks.

Songs for the chapter: **Dreaming With a Broken Heart**-John Mayer, **I Told You So**-Carrie Underwood, & **Sitting on the Dock of the Bay**-Otis Redding

* * *

_**Aw...this chapter was too cute. And it kinda showed off my sick sense of humor. I laughed my butt off at the whole mypochondirac thing...meh. If you liked the chapter (or hated my warped sense of humor), review and tell me. You'll get a snippet of chapter 12 in return for you time;) Thanks for reading and reviewing! Samantha**_

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

* * *

_**Thanks to AN Zoriah and .twilight.is.here. (who wanted to R & R but was stuck on vacay with the parents) for their feedback...and to AN Zoriah for the muffin...it was delicious;) On with the chappie!**_

* * *

**Chapter 12**

We got back to my apartment about nine, and I was totally ready to bounce off the walls. Jasper tried to calm me down, but I glared at him and he stopped. I decided that it would be fun to watch random stuff of TV and make fun of the stupid stuff people do and say to get attention. This lasted for about fifteen minutes and I was up and bouncing around the room again.

Jasper had to be about ready to kill me. I figured _that_ out when he started to compare me to Alice. I was in such a mood that even being compared to the never-tired-always-excited pixie vampire didn't bother me. Normally, all this happy would nauseate me. Even _I_ have certain days that I can't stop a good mood from making me annoyingly cheerful. As I completed another round of skipping around the couch, Jasper finally snapped.

"Damn it, woman! Sit you lovely behind on this couch now or, so help me, I'll call Emmett to hold you down and I'll _make_ you sleep!"

I pouted at him as I danced away from his grasp.

"Mean Jasper. You'd be having more fun if you were up here with me instead of sitting on the couch looking pissed off."

"No, I'd be much happier if I did this."

"Hey! Knock it off, damn you," I squealed indignantly as he snagged my wrist and toppled me onto his lap. I struggled to get away.

All thought of escape left my mind, though, as he crashed our lips together in a bone-searing kiss. His lips moved demandingly over mine, making me respond without even knowing what I was doing. I grabbed handfuls of his hair as I felt his hands moving up and down my spine.

When we had to separate (damn my actually _needing_ to breathe), he basically had to hold me to him to stop me from being a puddle of boneless goo on the floor. My eyes stayed closed and my head lolled against his shoulder. When I finally caught my breath, I chuckled dryly.

"Well…that shut me up. Holy cow!"

His quick laugh had me rolling my eyes.

"Okay, you won. I calmed down. Now what?"

"Now, it's ten-thirty, so you need to go to sleep. You do have work tomorrow, you know."

"Ugh. I know. I hate having to work in the shop. I'd rather be finding the stuff than selling it."

"I can't say that I blame you. Come on, bed time for human girl."

I sighed, making myself get up from his lap and walk to the bedroom to change into pajamas. I quickly changed and brushed my teeth and rushed back into my bedroom. Jasper was there on my bed, knowing I'd ask him to be there. I smiled and made quick work of getting under the covers and snuggling into his side. My head rested over his long dormant heart.

"'Night, Jasper. I love you."

"I love you, too, Samantha. Dream well."

I smirked, knowing I'd do just that.

* * *

The shop was hellishly busy the next day. I was also extremely cranky because the fricking sun had decided to show itself all day, ergo no Jasper until nightfall. His face popped into my mind at the oddest times and made me miss him even more. By lunch, it felt like half of me was missing, and it pretty much sucked. I told Jasper this that night when he could finally come. He tapped his finger on the edge of my nose and smiled.

"I felt the same way, darlin'. Thank goodness Emmett had the sense to drag me outside and wrestle my mind away from it. Edward was about ready to murder me with his bare hands."

"Of course he was. I'm sure he was tired of seeing _my_ face by the time the sun set. I would be if I were him."

"He'll get over it. If he likes, he can consider it payback for having to feel it when he seduces my sister."

Seeing Jasper shudder of absolute horror had me chuckling in empathy.

"Yep. I can definitely relate. My brother likes to post random make-out pictures on his Facebook. I swear I am scarred for life! Hey, that's an idea for an episode of Jerry Springer: people who are traumatized by their siblings' sex lives."

"Nope. That's more Maury's style."

I grinned as I remembered when we'd found our shared love of trashy daytime talk shows. Jasper insisted he watched them to learn more about human nature, but I knew he only watched them because he and Emmett bet on the outcomes of fights and paternity tests.

Esme was completely ashamed of her sons' behavior, but I assured her my brother and I had done the same thing. This had caused her to throw up her hands in despair and leave the room while mumbling about bad influences, which caused me to dissolve into hysterical laughter.

"Maybe…Montel would totally sick Sylvia Browne on us and have her look for some deep-hidden reason for our trauma."

"Probably. That woman could cause us some serious trouble."

"Pffft. Yeah, if she could actually see all the stuff she says she does. I think she's faking it."

"What? That's a load of bullshit, missy. Pardon my language."

I rolled my eyes at his worry about swearing in the presence of a lady.

"I'm not five, Jasper. I've heard the words and you've even heard me say them. And how exactly is that bullshit?"

"Alice says she's got actual talent. She's read her books and 'sees' things happening like Sylvia said they would."

"Whoa…okay, then. Weird. Moving on…what do you want to do now?"

"I don't really care one way or another. What would you like to do?"

"Hmm…I kind of want to go kick Emmett's butt at Guitar Hero…and eat Esme's brownies. I have a serious chocolate jones going on."

"I think we could do that. And you aren't going to beat Em. He is the Guitar Hero champion of the Cullen house."

I blew on my fingertips, pretending to polish them on my shirt.

"Let me at him and be amazed. I learned from my brother, the ultimate couch potato video game player. I can play most of the songs on expert with an accuracy score of ninety percent or better. I even kicked my brother's ass once."

"Vampire speed and reflexes, Samantha. I will, however, keep those little tidbits of information to myself and watch Emmett be flabbergasted by _almost_ getting beaten by a girl."

"Almost? Who the hell do you think you're talking to? I will beat him…maybe only once, but I'll still beat him fair and square."

"Whatever you say," he said, and dodged the throw pillow to the face.

* * *

"How in the _hell_ did that just happen? I just lost to a girl! A human girl!"

I tried to hide my laughter (which was hard because Jasper and Edward were hysterical) as I patted Emmett's broad shoulders.

"Sorry, Emmie. I guess this human girl is just better than you."

He jumped up and proceeded to pace around the room as he screamed.

"The hell you are! You cheated! Damn it, I want a rematch!"

"Emmett McCarty Cullen! Watch your language."

He flinched and glanced to the doorway, which now held an extremely pissed off Esme. I had to turn away so I wouldn't snicker. This quickly stopped when Emmett was suddenly in my face. I gasped and threw myself back into the couch.

"Holy shit, Em! You scared the hell out of me!"

"Samantha Jo Hildebrand!"

It was my turn to wince as Esme turned her motherly wrath on me.

"Sorry, Esme. What do you want," I hissed in Emmett's face as Esme exited.

"I told you, Mighty Mouse. I. Want. A. Rematch. You, me, and a Guitar Hero battle…right here and now."

I sighed, raising my eyes to the ceiling.

"Fine. Jasper, hand me my guitar. Edward, hand Emmett his. Let's give the cry baby his bottle so he'll shut up."

Emmett glared at his brothers as they snickered. Their snickering turned to full-out laughter after I earned a ninety-seven percent accuracy score and hit a 150-note streak versus his ninety-five percent accuracy and 135-note streak. I felt bad for him as he stared at me, sulking. I went over to him, slinging my arm around his shoulders (which was only possible because he was sitting and I was standing).

"I really am sorry, Em. I didn't mean to rub it in your face like that…or to encourage your bone-headed brothers."

He grinned at me as Jasper and Edward both yelled in protest.

"It's okay, Might Mouse. We can always take this up again whenever we want, since you'll be around for—"

I jumped as Jasper's vicious hiss cut him off.

"What? Alice already—"

"ENOUGH! That is never going to happen, so we don't need to talk about that. Samantha, it's time to go."

I stared at him curiously, trying to figure out what was going on. I'd never heard him yell at his family like that before.

"Jasper? What's going on? What is Emmett supposed to hide from me?"

Edward grinned at me, standing and clapping his brother on the shoulder on his way over to drag Emmett out of the room.

"Good luck with this one, Jasper. We warned you she'd be smart enough to figure this out. Bye, Sam. I hope to see you again soon."

"See ya later, Sam."

I grinned at them both in turn.

"Bye, guys. Tell everyone I said goodbye."

Turning before I could hear their responses, I leveled Jasper with my 'I know you're lying and you'd better tell me the truth or so help you God' face. He sighed and tugged a hand through his hair, a nervous tick he seemed to have.

"Let's get you home. I…I promise to tell you then."

"You swear on your biological _and_ adopted mothers' graves?"

He rolled his eyes at my dramatic oath.

"Yes, I swear on both of my mothers' graves. Can we leave now?"

I heard a chorus of cat calling and whipping sounds from upstairs.

"Cram it, you guys. Don't make me come up there and yell at you."

Surprisingly, two invincible vampires were afraid of a little human's threat to yell at them…_chicken shits_. I smirked as I heard Edward yell.

"I'll have you know that I am no form of animal feces."

"Not the point. We're out of here," I said, pulling Jasper's hand and leading him out of the house and to his car.

* * *

As soon as we were in the door, I plopped down on the couch and stared at Jasper. He pretended to not notice and made a show of shutting and locking the door. I simply raised my eyebrow when he glanced at me. I could see the hopefulness on his face and connected the dots to the fact that he'd hoped I'd forget his secret.

"I'm not that forgetful, Jasper. Spill it, Whitlock."

He sighed and gave me an anguished look. Rolling my eyes, I felt him cross the room and sit down by my side. I turned to him, looking at his face and praying for patience.

"Samantha, you know I'm a vampire…and that you aren't. When Carlisle explained things to you the other night, he told you _how_ we became what we are. We're bitten and if the venom is allowed to spread, it turns one into a vampire…but only after three days of excruciating pain. It's like you're on fire."

"Yes, you've all explained this to me. How do I fit into this…oh," I trailed off as I realized what he was trying to hide. "I'm going to be a vampire? How, why, when?"

"According to Alice, yes. You are attacked by another one of us because I will fight to defend you and this makes the other vampire want to kill you more. We don't stop the attack in time and too much venom gets into your system to stop the transformation. Alice's visions are never completely set in stone, but she 'sees' this happening in about a week."

"A week? Jasper, why did you keep this from me?"

"I thought I could stop this from happening if I never left your side. I even watched over you while you were at work. But now…Alice's visions keep getting more detailed. The only thing she's missing now is the vampire's face."

"How long have you all known about this?"

He hesitated, seeing and feeling my anger.

"We've known since the day Edward got back. Alice had the vision the first time that night."

"But, she called…I was right there. She told you then, didn't she? God damn it, Jasper!"

Shocked by my abrupt outburst, Jasper stared at me, wide-eyed.

"You should have told me. I need to say goodbye, damn it! My mom, my brother, my grandparents…my friends. I'm never going to see any of them ever again!"

Realizing this, I collapsed into sobs. Jasper wrapped his arms around me and murmured softly in my ear. His magic hands (and a bit of his power, I'd guess) soothed me by running up and down my spine. As my tears slowed, I pulled back.

"I need to get everything settled before this happens. I just unpacked, damn it…what? Did you think I wasn't paying attention? Carlisle told me about the werewolves in La Push and the treaty. No one can be bitten in Forks. They'll attack, even if it wasn't you guys who bit me. We'll have to leave, right?"

"Yes, we will. Since this is going to happen anyway, the family thought it would be better to…take you out of town before the vampire arrives and turn you ourselves."

"But…he'll just find someone else, won't he?"

"Yes, probably. That's why we are informing the werewolves before we leave. Obviously, we won't tell them that we're planning on turning you. We'll warn them to be on the lookout for vampires other than ourselves in Forks."

"Okay. They should get him, then. But, still…Jasper, my family. I need to see them, to say goodbye."

He was already shaking his head before I'd finished. I felt my heart sink.

"I'm sorry, but there isn't time, darlin.' If we want to beat this other vampire out of here, we have to leave soon…as in no later than Friday. We have to get the things you absolutely need packed and make arrangements to stay elsewhere during your change."

"Fine. Just tell me this: if you'd told me when Alice called, would we still have had time to do all that _and_ to see my family?"

I saw the answer in his eyes and felt the hurt and anger swell.

"Giving my life to be with you is nothing, Jasper. I'll do it willingly because I love you more than my life. Know this: you took away my chance to give my family peace about my death and it'll take me a long time to forget that. I'll see you in the morning. I need to talk to my mom and my brother. I can't take any more of this right now. Feel free to stay on the couch."

I spun sharply on my heel, walking to my bedroom and slamming my door. Making my way to my bed after stumbling into my pajamas, I pulled my cell phone out of my jeans pocket and dialed my mom's home phone. I nearly burst into tears when I heard her voice on the other end.

"Hello?"

I sniffled, being unladylike and wiping my nose with the back of my hand.

"Mom?"

"Sam, what's wrong?"

_I can't tell her anything. She'll be in serious trouble if I do. I have to lie._

"Nothing…I just miss you."

"We miss you too, sweetie. It's not very long until Christmas."

I let out a tearful laugh. _It's March; of course it's _forever_ until Christmas._

"You're hilarious, Mom. It's frigging March!"

"So? You could come home sooner…like your birthday."

_I won't ever be home for a birthday again. I won't ever turn 23._

"Kevin is going to have me really busy with the shop in July. It's tourist season."

"You can't take three days off and fly home? I can give you the money for—"

"No, you can't. We don't have the money for me to fly home more than once. I'll be okay. Talking to you helps."

I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Good. You know you can call me whenever you want."

"Yeah. I know. So…how's Matt?"

She sighed and went into a five-minute tangent about his latest hooker of a girlfriend (even though she didn't call her that…I did). I sighed in contentment at the normalcy; she did this every time I called home and asked about him. This was a sure sign that he was doing okay, and so was she. _Thank God for small miracles. Let them stay okay after I put them through my death._ This sent a twinge through my heart and I focused again on my mom's one-sided conversation. Suddenly, the topic shifted.

"So, how are you? Have you met a rich man out there yet?"

This was our running joke: my paternal grandma kept insisting that they sent me to college to find a rich husband to take care of me and the rest of my family. I smiled, saying nothing.

"Oh, my God! Sam, did you?"

"Um…yeah, I kind of did."

"And you didn't tell me before now why? I'm your mother, I deserve to know these things!"

I laughed and told her about Jasper. For once, she was silent on the other end of the line.

"Mom? Hello? What do you think?"

"I think he sounds great. When do I get to meet him?"

"Um…I'm not sure yet. We'll have to talk about that."

"You do that. I think I'll like him, though. I'm looking forward to meeting him."

I was baffled. She was always the first to threaten to bring out the shotgun when I brought boyfriends home.

"What? Why? You aren't going to shoot him, are you?"

She laughed, filling me with warmth. _I'll miss that_.

"No, Sam, I'm not going to shoot Jasper. You sound so happy when you talk about him. I've never heard you talk about a boy like that before."

"Mom, Jasper is hardly a boy and I'm not a girl, either."

"You're both still children. Whatever. Like I said, he obviously makes you happy. I don't care about anything other than that."

"Thanks, Mom. Listen, I hate to do this, but I've got to go. I have to work in the morning and it's already one o'clock here…"

"Get your skinny butt in bed and go to sleep, then. If you get yourself sick, I'll tan your hide."

I grinned at the empty threat. She'd never laid a hand on my brother or me.

"Sure, Mom. Listen…I love you, okay? You'll remember that for me, right?"

She sounded baffled when she spoke again.

"Of course, sweetie. I love you, too."

"I know. Goodbye, Mom."

"Bye. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to fight back tears.

"Yeah. I love you."

I hung up the phone before I could hear what she's said. Bursting into tears over the phone would just make her worry all the more. Curling onto my side, I let the tears have their way with me. My sobs were so loud, I never heard the door creak open. Jasper's approach to the bed was silent, which is why I was stunned when I felt his arms wrap around me.

"I'm sorry, Samantha. I know you don't want me here right now, but I can't stand to hear you like this and not do something about it."

My tearful hazel eyes met his sad topaz. In that second, I knew I couldn't be mad at him anymore. I needed him, and it was stupid to push him away.

"Jasper!"

With that one syllable I launched myself at him. He rocked me, murmuring in my ear as my tears dried. Even after they'd stopped completely, he held me in his lap, offering comfort. Suddenly, I knew what comfort I needed from him.

Before he could stop me, I attacked his lips with mine. Shock held him immobile for a second, then he gently pulled me off him. I screeched in protest.

"Samantha, we can't do this. I'll kill you if we do. After you're turned—"

"NO! Now…I need you now, Jasper. I need to feel something good right now. You can make me feel—"

"I'm not going to take advantage of you when you're vulnerable like this. You don't know what you want."

"Yes, I do, damn it! I want you…Jasper, I need you now…please?"

He stared at me for a long time, looking into my eyes. Finally, I heard the whooshing sigh. My heartbeat started racing in response, knowing he was giving me what I wanted.

"If you're sure, darlin.' Come here."

He opened his arms and I gladly crawled into his lap. My lips met his in a fevered frenzy. _He's actually giving me what I want! We're doing this now! Sweet Jesus, I need him! _

Songs for the chapter:** I've Got You**-McFly,** Who Wants to Live Forever**-Queen,** Don't Forget to Remember Me**-Carrie Underwood &** I Don't Wanna Wait**-The Veronicas

* * *

_**Soooo...there's chapter 12. I bawled my eyes out at the phone conversation between Sam and her mom. Since Sam is based on me and her mom is my mom, it was almost like I was saying goodbye to her. I hated it, but loved it at the same time. **_

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	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

_**Okay, guys…this might be offensive to some. You might have expected it, since the story is rated 'M' and all, but if not, here's a warning and some advice: LEMON AHEAD! If offended by sensitive/mature content, skip to the ending author's note. Thanks, readers! **_

_**Respectfully, Samantha**_

* * *

_**Jasper POV**_

_What the hell am I thinking? She doesn't know what she wants. She's too distraught. _I said as much to her and watched the anger and desperation explode.

"Yes, I do, damn it! I want you…Jasper, I need you now…please?"

_Shit…she said it…damn it all to Hell!_ I sighed and heard her heartbeat kick up. _Okay, you can do this. Take it slow, Whitlock._

"If you're sure, darlin.' Come here."

I opened my arms and caught her as she flung herself into my lap. She kissed me like my lips would save her life. Humbled by her faith in me, I met her fervor. When her tiny hands fisted themselves in my hair, I snapped out of the haze of lust and knew I'd have to slow this down. If I didn't, we'd both be in serious trouble.

_**My POV**_

Jasper's quiet voice brought me out of the haze I'd been in. I stared at him as I tried to process his words.

"Darlin', we need to slow down. We both need be able to mind our actions."

I was still confused. The haze still hadn't quite cleared from my head. _His lips taste so good…oh, man, look at his hair…he is fricking sex on a stick…wait, he's trying to tell me something._ Intelligently, I spoke.

"What?"

His dark chuckle did nothing to clear away my lust. _It's like chocolate…so rich and smooth and—_My thoughts turned when I felt a wave of calm washed away all that nice lust. I shook my head and focused on him fully.

"What were you saying? My brain was _not_ comprehending, sorry."

"Yes, I noticed. I said we need to slow down. We can pull this off without injury if I can keep my head. That…frenzy was not the way to do that."

Apparently the lust hadn't totally cleared because I stared at his mouth the whole time he was talking. But, I did get the message…and desperately wanted him to kiss me again.

"Oh…okay, um…I can do that. Anything else?"

"No, why do you—"

My lips cut him off as I kissed him again. This time, I partially kept my head and avoided the desperate pace we'd set before. I nearly melted as his hands crept up and framed my face. Gently, he pushed me back into the mattress, my head hitting the pillow. I stared into his eyes as he hovered above me, his arms keeping his weight from crushing me. Smiling, I reached up and linked my arms behind his neck. I caught his grin before my lips met his again.

This kiss was our most passionate yet, but it was still sweet. I could feel his love for me as he caressed me, cherished me. His hands…were magic. They slid up and down my arms. My breath caught as his thumbs brushed the sides of my breasts through the flimsy tank top and my eyes fluttered closed. Moaning softly as the contact, my back arched against him, begging for more.

Jasper seemed to know instinctively what I wanted. His hands slid from my shoulders, down my sides, and made their way under my shirt, pulling it away as they went. He slowly exposed my torso, gently lifting me and pulling the shirt over my head.

His sharp intake of breath had my eyes slowly opening again. I saw him above me, his eyes almost glowing as they took in my half-naked form. The lust and love in his eyes was almost my undoing. My hands itched to grasp and tug at him, making him mine. Thankfully, he saw my intent in my eyes and trapped my hands in his as he leaned down to murmur in my ear.

"You are beautiful, my only love."

Goose bumps and shivers at his cool breath followed my blush of pleasure at the compliment closely. I locked my legs behind his back as I whispered back.

"I love you, Jasper. Take me…"

His sigh had me releasing one of my own in relief and pleasure. I lifted my lips to his then, needing every inch of contact I could get. His hands released mine, slowly making their way down my body. When they reached my hips, his agile fingers slipped under the waistband of my pants…where they stilled, making me crazy. I bucked under him, encouraging him. He clucked in my ear and I felt his chuckle down to my toes.

"Slow, darlin'. Take it easy."

I took a deep breath, trying to comply. My heart completely ignored any attempt at calming and doubled its frantic pace as Jasper's lips followed the trail his hands had taken. When he made the detour to gently take my nipple into his mouth, I swear I felt my eyes cross. My ragged moan echoed in the tiny room. His chuckle followed it closely.

After he turned his attentions to my other nipple, I think I went a little insane. The hissing and moaning from my mouth confirmed that. I know I lost track of all time and thought that wasn't Jasper as he alternated laving my breasts and lightly sucking on my neck. His hands were continuously caressing me. Knowing this was the closest I'd ever come to begging for anything, I grasped his hair in my hands. Finally getting his attention, I took a deep breath.

"Jazz…take me now…please?!"

His whooshing sigh nearly had my taught body sagging with relief. The relief was ousted by pure lust when his fingers again went to my waistband. This time, the kept moving as he slid them off inch by agonizing inch. I raised my hips to help him slide them over my hips. At my growl of frustration, he made quick work of getting them the rest of the way off. I had a sudden realization then.

"Hey! You're not naked!"

His grin sent my heart tripping.

"Very keen observation."

"Well…that's going to change…and quickly."

I sat up and my hands found the hem of his shirt, tugging it up. He obliged me and lifted his arms, allowing me to pull it over his head. Once that was done, I threw it across the room and heard it land only God (and probably Jasper) knew where. I kissed him as my hands went to the button of his jeans. I sighed when his hands stopped me.

"Let me. Just one second."

He was out of bed, naked, and on top of me after laying my head on the pillow. My heart raced as he settled himself over me, pausing. He gently brushed a curl of hair off my cheek, tenderly smiling down at me.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded and his forehead met mine. His eyes burned into mine as he entered me. I felt a wave of desire from him and grinned. _Good…I'm not the only one._ Then, any coherent though flew out of my head as he started to move, slowly, then faster as we both built toward our release.

His face burrowed into the crook of my neck, his lips caressing it. The pressure in my stomach suddenly exploded, pleasure sending me screaming over the edge. My hands gripped his shoulders, the nails digging into his bare back. Over the ringing in my ears, I heard him follow.

A wave of love washed over me as I felt him trembling over me. Loss came as he moved away and was quickly squashed when he pulled me to him. I rested my head over his dormant heart, my hand lightly over his ribcage. His lips cruised over my hair while the arm that wasn't wrapped around me reached for the blankets.

Surprisingly, he simply covered us when he'd normally have laid on top of the sheets. A deep sense of relaxation came over me as I lay there. I was in the stage between sleep and wakefulness when he murmured to me.

"Are you all right? I didn't hurt you?"

I nuzzled my cheek into his bare chest.

"No. That was amazing and…just what I needed from you tonight. I'm sorry I was so angry at you earlier."

"I understand why you were. You have the right to be still, you know."

I leaned up on my elbow, looking down into his glorious face. I brushed away a lock of hair from his eyes and smiled.

"No, I really don't anymore. I know you were trying to protect me. You were probably thinking that you'd stop this vampire from hurting me. Although I have no idea how you could. It isn't smart to bet against Alice, Jazz."

He chuckled and pulled me to him again.

"Of course you're right. It's been a long day, and it's late. Go to sleep, little soldier. Your battle for the day is won."

I rolled my eyes, but complied, snuggling closer to him.

"I love you, Jasper."

"And I you, Samantha. Good night."

By the time the words were out of his mouth, I'd already dropped off into a deep sleep.

Songs for the chapter: **I Surrender**-Celine Dion, **All Around Me**-Flyleaf & **Open Arms**-Journey

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_**Okay...if you read it, tell me what you thought of my first lemon ever. If you didn't, I'd still like to hear from you about chapter 12. So, you know the drill: read, review, and receive a snippet of chapter 14. Thanks! Samantha**_

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	14. Chapter 14

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_**Okay, here's chapter 14. I'll explain the fast update in the AN at the end...that's going to be really long. Anyway, thanks to imadoodlenoodle for the review of the last chapter. On with the show! **_

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**Chapter 14**

The banging of pots and pans greeted me the next morning. Groaning, I flipped onto my stomach and buried my face in the pillow. It was then that I realized I was naked. Buck-naked. The previous night's events came rushing back to me. I grinned a Cheshire grin, slowly climbing out of bed to find clothes.

Seeing Jasper's shirt still on the floor where I had thrown it presented me with the perfect item of clothing. Picking it up, I held it to my face and took in Jasper's scent. Releasing a hum of pleasure at the smell, I pulled it over my head. Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror made me giggle. The shirt went down almost to my knees and my form entirely disappeared. Hearing the pans banging in the kitchen again had me snapping out of my reverie and walking to the kitchen.

He obviously knew I was there, but diligently kept at his task, which currently happened to be making my breakfast. I stood there, leaning against the doorjamb, watching him lithely moving around the room. His muscles bunched and stretched as he moved, catching my attention immediately. _He is never wearing a shirt again if I can stop him. It should be a crime to hide that._

"That's rather distracting. I'm going to burn your food if you don't stop."

Even though he had yet to look at me, I knew his eyes would be smoldering. Taking a deep breath to control myself, I crossed the kitchen and put my arms around his waist. Hearing his gasp as I gently kissed his shoulder amused me. He chose to be amused with me and turned, wrapping his arms around me. I grinned up at him.

"Friendly, aren't we?"

I slapped his chest.

"Shut up. Good morning."

I stood on tiptoe and kissed him lightly. Pulling back, I noticed his grin.

"It certainly is now. Did you sleep well?"

"Mmm-hmm…what're you doing over there?"

I peeked over his shoulder and was blocked before I could see anything.

"Making you breakfast. Sit down at the table and wait for it."

Obeying like a petulant child, I plopped into the chair, sulking. His chuckle had me rolling my eyes and stoically looking out the window over the sink. I ignored his presence as I felt him stand behind me.

His hands rested on my shoulders, gently kneading. _Damn! He is making it hard to ignore him. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, this man has magic hands._ I felt my frustration ease out of my as my muscles turned to Jell-O under his ministrations. My head lolled back, resting on his stomach. My gaze met his and found a mix of amusement and adoration. A reflection of what he found in mine, to be sure.

"I hate it when you do stuff like that. Being pissed is fun…sometimes."

He smiled at me, his hands slipping behind my head. Leaning down, his lips brushed mine.

"I know it, but I'm not sorry. Are you hungry?"

"Yes. What am I eating?"

He had a plate of food in front of me before I could blink.

"French toast with strawberries and powdered sugar and some orange juice."

_He remembered!_ Sometime during our time together, I'd gone on a five-minute about the pros of putting fruit on things like French toast, waffles, and pancakes instead of maple syrup. The most important of these being it tastes better.

"Thank you. It smells really good."

His wry smile made me raise an eyebrow.

"I was hoping to not burn them. Go on, try them."

I did so with caution. They didn't look burned…on this side. I made sure to get a piece of the toast as well as a chunk of fruit. The second it hit my tongue, my eyes fluttered closed in pleasure. After I finished the bite, I opened them to see Jasper eyeing me anxiously.

"It's unfair that you don't even _eat_ and you kicked my ass at making French toast."

Obviously pleased, he beamed at me. I couldn't help but respond. He rose from the table and started to clean up. We continued like this in silence for a few moments. I was lost in my thoughts when he spoke.

"Were you planning on going artifact hunting today?"

"Um…I don't think so. I need to finish other stuff…"

Understanding flashed across his features, then I watched them slowly go blank._ What the hell is that all about?_

"I see. Do you require my assistance?"

I raised an eyebrow at the coolness of his tone, the formality of his phrasing.

"I'd like you to be with me, yes."

"Then I will be. Excuse me, I need to make a phone call."

I caught his arm as he walked by. We both knew he could break my grasp. I spoke quickly before he did.

"What is the matter with you?"

I stared up into his face as he avoided my gaze. Mild panic raced through me. My grip on his arm tightened.

"Jasper. What's wrong?"

More silence and avoiding my gaze. Annoyed beyond belief, I sighed and released his arm.

"Fine. Make your phone call. I'll let you know _if_ I need you."

Not even that parting jab made him flinch. I walked around him quickly and went into my bedroom, slamming the door. _Thank God. I didn't cry. _At that thought, the tears did stream down my cheeks. They were silent tears and blurred my vision as I stumbled to my dresser, pulling out a black zip-up hoodie and a pair of pink cut-off sweatpants.

I quickly stripped, throwing Jasper's shirt into a heap on the floor. I sat the clothes on the bed, along with a set of underwear. Swiping the tears from my cheeks, I stole across the hall and into the bathroom. My only thought now was to shower. I did so in almost scalding water. The problem with showering is that it leaves your mind free to wander while your hands do menial work.

_What the hell happened? All of a sudden, he was cold as ice…well, acting like ice. It was like a matter of seconds…is he regretting last night? I'm not, so why should he? No, that isn't it. What was he doing right before? I'd told him that…oh!_ Sudden realization hit me like a fist in the face. _He's still freaking out about me having to leave. Damn it! _I rushed through the rest of my shower and turned off the water.

After toweling off, I put my robe on and ran across the hall to my room to get dressed. I smothered myself in the normal baby powder and Love Spell body spray. I pulled my clothes on and pulled a brush thorough my hair, running my fingers through it and letting it air dry. _Okay…now to find Jasper. _

Find him I did…sitting on the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. My heart skipped. I moved as silently as I could to his side, sitting on the other side of the couch without touching.

"I'm sorry, Jasper."

His head snapped up, eyes finding mine.

"What? _You're_ sorry?"

"Yes. I should have realized this whole thing is still worrying you. Me sniping doesn't help anything. You can talk to me about it, you know. I'm okay now."

"No, you aren't. I know you already miss your family."

"So what? That doesn't mean I'm not okay with that. I'll at least get to talk to them one last time, and I know they'll help each other be okay. And guess what? I get you out of it. I'm more than okay with this."

I crawled into his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. His arms stayed stationary at his sides.

"Jasper, I love you. We're in this whole eternity thing together now."

His arms came around me then, hugging me to him harder than ever before. His face was buried in my hair, his hands soothingly moving across my back.

"Yes, we are in this together now. You're mine forever."

I grinned, raining light kisses over his face.

"Yep. You're stuck with me now. Whatcha gonna do, cowboy," I said, affecting his southern drawl.

He raised an amused eyebrow before a determined glint came into his eyes.

"I am going to do this: Samantha Jo Hildebrand, will you make our eternity official? Will you marry me?"

I gasped, completely shell-shocked. _Whoa! I did _not_ see that one coming! Respond, you idiot, he's waiting._

"Yes, Jasper. Yes."

It was his turn to look shell-shocked. He was frozen for a millisecond, then was on his feet with me in his arms. His crazy whooping echoed, joined by my laughter. After about five minutes of this, we finally heard my neighbors pounding on their ceilings/walls to shut us up.

"Damn it, I forgot about my neighbors. They probably think I'm crazy now."

"Who cares? We're getting married!"

He twirled me around a few times more before I calmed him down enough to put me on my feet. When he did, I got a head rush. Staggering a bit, I gripped his arm until the dizziness passed.

"Shit! Note to self: don't do that."

"The dizziness will pass soon. Come on! Let's go somewhere. I want to shout this from the rooftops!"

"Okay, honey. Maybe later. How about we go tell your family first?"

"Great idea! Would you like to run?"

I felt the blood leave my face.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then."

"No, no, no, I…we can run, but I'm not looking this time."

His grin was blinding. I couldn't stop my responding smile.

"Fantastic! Are you ready to leave now?"

"Um…Jasper? I'm in sweat pants."

"No one will care what you're wearing!"

I sighed, thinking of the many other actual outfits I could wear. _Oh, well, at least I match today._

"Fine. Let me get some shoes."

I grabbed my black flip-flops, knowing my feet wouldn't touch the soggy ground anyway. After I slid my feet into them, I turned to see Jasper already crouching for me to hop onto his back. I took a deep breath and stepped toward my doom…just kidding, I just really did _not_ want to run again.

Remembering the last time, I locked my limbs around his torso. My hold would have choked a human being. Making sure I was secure, he walked at a human pace out the door, locking it behind him with the key from my purse (which was gripped tightly in the crook of my arm and packed with my phone and other essentials). He then walked down the stairs at a sedate pace, opening the outer door and pausing on the sidewalk.

"You might want to close your eyes now."

I did, burying my entire face in his back. I felt his chuckle vibrate through him and then heard the whipping of the wind around us as he took off running. _This isn't so bad…if I don't have to look._ Within minutes, we'd arrived. He gently pulled my arms from around his neck, signaling our arrival. I removed my face from his shoulder and saw his parents standing on their porch, waiting for us. He turned his head slightly, speaking so only I would hear him.

"I think Edward heard our thoughts and alerted the entire household. Alice is bouncing around just inside the door because, of course, she saw this the moment I asked. Still, they'll act surprised."

I chuckled quietly at the mental images he was feeding me.

"I'm sure she is. Giddy up, Jazz. Let's get this over with."

He sounded a bit annoyed as he spoke.

"I am not a horse, thank you. Now, be quiet. They'll hear you."

I rolled my eyes, but shut my mouth obligingly. This didn't mean that I was mature enough to be docile. My fingers trailed down and pinched his side just where his family wouldn't see. His yelp of surprise made me smirk at him as he glared at me over his shoulder. He hissed at me and I fought to keep the laughter in.

Glancing around for a distraction, I could see Carlisle and Esme doing the same. Resigned to looking like the lovesick fools we were, Jasper raced the rest of the way to the porch, stopping just short of the bottom stair.

"Hello, you two. This is an unexpected visit."

I looked at Carlisle in a bit of shock.

"You mean…Alice didn't tell you we were…coming over?"

Both of their brows furrowed in confusion. Esme spoke, trying to figure us out.

"No, she didn't, dear. Not that we aren't thrilled to see you, but…"

Jasper and I grinned at each other over his shoulder, quickly turning back to his parents.

"Come into the living room and we'll tell you why we're here."

"If we can get past Alice," I mumbled.

"Hey! Is that any way to talk to the person who's going to—"

I saw Edward clap a hand over his wife's mouth. I grinned at him in thanks, giggling at his nod of acknowledgement. Whispering in Jasper's ear, I gripped his bicep.

"Get a move on. He'll only be able to hold her for so long."

"Right you are, darlin'."

He walked past Esme and Carlisle, calling for his other siblings as he moved to the living room. I started when each member of the family appeared seemingly at once. After hopping off Jasper's back, I looked at each of my family in turn. _Wow…that's weird. They really are going to be my family._ The thought made me grin like an idiot. It may have also caused me to blab our good news all at once.

"Jasper and I are getting married!"

As I said it, I caught Rosalie's eye. The look of pure hatred directed at me had me taking a step back. When she suddenly appeared right in my face. I stumbled back into Jasper's grasp.

"You are the worst thing to ever happen to this family. My brother is an imbecile for getting involved with a worthless human. I refuse to call you my sister."

With that, she was gone. Emmett ran after her, shooting an anguished glance at me before darting from the room. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. The rest of the family stayed frozen in shock for a moment. Esme was the first to come forward. She took my hand, glaring at Jasper when he growled at her. I quickly shot him a look over my shoulder, turning back to the kind woman in front of me.

"Sam, I apologize for my daughter's outburst. I want to say that I am ecstatic about this. I can't think of anyone else who would fit in our family more. Welcome to it, my lovely daughter."

She pulled me in to her embrace after she'd quickly pecked my cheek. I was rendered temporarily speechless, but spoke through tears as I hung onto my other mother for dear life.

"Thank you…Mom…I can't wait to be part of your family."

She detached herself and smiled widely at me as she backed away. Carlisle was next, taking my hand in between his larger ones. I looked into his eyes and saw gratefulness.

"I also want to apologize for Rosalie's behavior. You have made my son as happy as I've ever seen him since we took him in. Thank you, Sam."

I was shocked yet again by his words, more so when he pulled me gently into a hug. I buried my face in his shoulder for a second, overwhelmed.

"Thanks…Dad. You don't know how much that means to me."

He placed a kiss on my cheek, and pulled back, looking at me with a twinkle in his eye.

"I think I might. It's nothing but the truth. Welcome, dear heart."

I swiped away tears as I glanced back at Jasper. He looked so insanely happy and I knew I was feeling the same. Alice's voice pulled me back to reality.

"I am so happy for you two! Can I help you plan the wedding?"

Her enthusiastic response to the engagement had me laughing through my drying tears.

"Of course. Who could be better for the job?"

"This is going to be so much fun," she squealed as she launched herself at me. I threw my arms around her and lifted my feet off the floor to stop my behind from hitting it. _Thank goodness that didn't happen…and thank God Emmett wasn't here to see it if it had._

She quickly pulled back and danced away. I watched her husband come forward, holding out his hands. I took them, meeting his earnest gaze.

"I can't really say much that the rest of our family hasn't, but I'd still like to second their sentiments and offer my congratulations. Welcome to the family, Sam."

He pulled me into a quick hug, pecking me on the forehead as he backed away. I glanced at each of my family as I spoke.

"Thank you for willingly taking me into your lives. You won't regret it."

Jasper's hand on my shoulder had me turning back to him. I looked up into that face and knew I'd made the right decision, despite the consequences and objections. I needed this face like a fish needs water. Giving up my human family would literally kill me, but gaining my vampire family would bring me back to life.

Songs for the chapter: **Collide**-Howie Day, **I Love You**-Martina McBride, & **You Picked Me**-A Fine Frenzy

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_**Okay...here's the deal. This story is now officially completely written! It's 23 chapters plus an epilogue. I am SO pumped for what I have in store for you guys it's not even funny! I also already have half of the first chapter of the sequel written! I'm not going to tell you the title because it gives away the ending of "Exile". Just know that I have some huge plot twists to throw at you:) **_

_**On another note, I am going to be posting every day from now until Thursday. Most days will have more than one chapter. The reason for this frantic posting is because I want to finish this story before Breaking Dawn comes out on Saturday because I know NO ONE is going to read my story if I try to post within a week of it coming out. We'll all be furiously reading BD over and over:) **_

_**My final parting thought for this exorbitantly long AN: review and you get a preview of tomorrow's chapter. Not much incentive, I know, but it's better than getting nothing in return for your kindness;) So, tell me what you think about the story...please? Pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top? Okay...sorry...done begging. Later! Samantha**_

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	15. Chapter 15

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_**Here's the first of two chapters for the day. Thanks to AN Zoriah (and Ashley by way of AN Zoriah) for the review:) See you at the end of chapter 16! **_

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**Chapter 15**

The rest of the family soon went back to their separate parts of the house. Jasper and I huddled together on the couch. I wanted to wait for Emmett and Rosalie to get back. It may have been a stupid hope, but I thought I could make her understand us better.

After learning how she felt about me, I knew it would take more than a few sentences to convince her, but I felt that I could help her see how much I loved her brother and that I was in this family for the long haul. Maybe then she'd stop throwing a tantrum when I walked into a room. Her insults made me think that even this wouldn't make her accept me fully, though. She would always see me as an inconvenience until I could prove otherwise.

I can't say that I blame her for disliking me. Being Rosalie Hale was bound to give one a strong sense of self…in other words, it's hard to avoid being a snob when you look like she does. Honestly, she was every man's wet dream walking around right in front of their faces. She knew it, too, but disdained any attentions but her husband's.

I, on the other hand, had no better than average looks. The most attention I'd gotten was from a mentally handicapped boy I worked with one summer at camp. Until you really got to know me, which normally took a hell of a lot longer than it did with this family, I was actually pretty reserved. Having someone like me in the family would probably offend Rosalie on principle.

My reverie was broken to pieces as I heard the front door slam open. Rosalie was still shouting and Emmett was trying to calm her. Both obviously knew I was still here but didn't bother to hide their argument from me or anyone else.

"Damn it, Emmett, can't you side with me for once?"

"I can't see where you're coming from this time, Rose. Sam is finally making our brother happy and she's a good person on top of all that."

The screech that flew out of her mouth had me slapping my hands over my ears in defense. Jasper tapped my shoulder as Rosalie came into the room, her eyes glaring at me with some serious malice. I took a deep breath and attempted to show her my side of the story.

"Rosalie, may I please speak with you?"

She raised a dubious eyebrow, but reluctantly sat when Em pushed her into a chair across the room form me. The fact that she stayed, even though she wasn't looking at me, was encouraging.

"I love your brother more than anything else in my life ever, Rosalie. He really is my life now. I am also sure that he feels the same way about me. We make each other very happy. So, we're going to spend eternity with each other."

Her growl and grimace of disgust nearly had me rolling my eyes.

"I'm sorry you don't like me, Rosalie. I can't say that I like you a whole hell of a lot, either. But, because you're Jasper's sister, I love you, too. As much as you may hate it, I'm your family now, just as much as Jasper or Emmett or any of us. Maybe you'll grow to love me like the sister I want to be to you, but I can accept it if you don't. Just as long as we can act civilly with each other, I don't foresee a problem with me becoming a Cullen."

This had her jumping out of her seat, anger clear on her face.

"You will never be a Cullen, human."

"I sure as hell will be. Jasper is marrying me and I'm going to be turned. No one told you that," I said as I noticed the shock on her face. I turned on Jasper.

"You didn't tell them I want to be changed? What the hell is the matter with you, Whitlock? Did you kill some brain cells running around like a maniac?"

"No, and I'll thank you to not insult my intelligence. I just assumed that my family knew what your marrying me meant for you."

"You know what they say about assuming things, Jasper. This time, you are definitely an ass, and so am I by proxy."

"How is it my fault that a member of the family didn't realize what is going to happen?"

"Hmmm…let me think…you left out a pretty crucial part of—wait, they knew you were going to ask me to marry you?"

Shock flittered across his features as I caught on to his words, then they blanked.

"Don't you dare pull that face on me, Jasper Whitlock Hale! When did they know?"

Emmett, clearly not wanting to face my wrath, piped up before his brother could.

"He'd decided the day I was in your apartment."

Clearly not expecting me to turn on him, he almost jumped when I bolted out of my chair and across the room, smacking him in the back of the head.

"Damn it, you giant dumb ass! You couldn't have given me even a tiny clue?"

"Um…no? Ouch! Damn it to hell, Mighty Mouse, that hurt!"

"No it didn't, putz! You vampire, me human. Unless I bring a torch to your frigid behind, I can't hurt you. Oh, when I am a vampire, I am so kicking your ass for real."

He flinched away as I raised my hand to smack him a third time. Rosalie's laughter stopped me cold. I watched her crack up for about five minutes. Jasper and Emmett looked as baffled as I felt. When she slowly stopped, I cautiously spoke.

"Um…Rosalie, are you okay?"

She grinned at me and I was momentarily stunned at her gesture of positive feelings toward me.

"I'm perfectly fine. I haven't seen anyone tear into these two so thoroughly since Alice. And you're still human. You aren't the least bit afraid of us, are you?"

"Not really…well, I am a little afraid of you, I'm not gonna lie. Even then, though, I know you won't hurt me. None of you will, ergo what's there to be scared of?"

She contemplated me for a long minute.

"Okay, then…maybe you aren't as stupid as I thought."

I rolled my eyes, a little irritated at yet again having my intelligence insulted.

"Thanks, Rosalie. I feel great about myself now."

She turned to Emmett then, grinning up at him.

"You were right. She is hilarious."

Jasper and Emmett both stared her slack-jawed. I was confused.

"What?"

Jasper's eyes snapped back to mine as I spoke.

"Hmm? Sorry…it's just…she's never said that before."

"What? That I'm hilarious? Big surprise, Jazz."

He shook his head and his hair flopping into his eyes momentarily distracted me as I drifted back to the couch and sat down.

"No…she admitted she was wrong. I've never heard that out of her mouth before."

She rolled her eyes and huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Jeez, Jasper. You make it sound like I'm a jerk."

"Well, if the Jimmy Choo fits…"

I smacked him on the arm.

"Jasper! Knock it off. That was uncalled for. Apologize to her."

His face was incredulous, hers highly amused.

"What?! You have to be kidding."

I glared at him meaningfully until he turned hesitantly to Rosalie.

"Rose, I'm sorry. That was extremely rude of me and I'd like to apologize."

She nodded stiffly at him, rising to leave the room. Throwing her parting remark and a wink for me over her shoulder, she grabbed Emmett's hand.

"Apology accepted, Jasper. Congratulations, to both of you."

Emmett quickly shouted over his shoulder, too, as she dragged him from the room.

"Congrats, kids. Welcome to the family, Mighty Mouse."

"Thanks, Rosalie! Thanks, Em," I said, laughing at them and Jasper's still sulking face. Scooting closer to him on the couch, I devised my plan to wipe that pout off his face.

"Jasper…"

Still not looking at me, he stayed stock-still as I inched closer.

"Jazz…"

He harrumphed, crossing his arms over his chest. I attached myself to his side, resting my chin on his shoulder and speaking in his ear.

"Jasper…I love you."

I smelled triumph when I heard his breathing pick up. His hands gripped his arms so his already white fingers became nearly transparent. Sliding my nose along the shell of his ear, I spoke again.

"Kiss me, Jasper."

Feeling extremely bold, I nipped his ear lightly. Before I knew what the hell had happened, I was on my back with him hovering over me. I had a second to stare at his lips before they crashed down on mine. My eyes fluttered closed in satisfaction and I let my hands wind themselves into his hair. As my oxygen ran out, his lips moved across my jaw and down my neck. He murmured to me as he worked his way up.

"You never cease to shock me, my love. That was amazingly…delightful."

I was barely coherent enough to understand what he was saying and was a little puzzled. So, on an exhalation, I blurted before thinking.

"Why?"

His light chuckle vibrated through me, his buzzing lips tickling my neck as he continued kissing a path up.

"For our kind, letting someone bite you…it becomes sacred. In turn, biting someone shows your claim on that person, your bond." _**AN: I don't know if that's true for SM's vamps, but it is for my story...**_

"Oh," was my intelligent response. Having satisfied my curiosity and tiring of his teasing nibbles, I pulled his lips back to mine. This was how Carlisle found us five minutes later.

"Oh, good Lord! I'm terribly sorry…I'll just…go…somewhere."

I'd never heard the good doctor at a loss for words. It would have been amusing…if he hadn't just caught me making out with his son. I smacked him in the bicep, causing my hand to tingle from the impact.

"Jasper! Why the hell didn't you warn me he was coming?"

He sat up, pulling me with him. Running a hand through his hair, he sent me a sidelong glance.

"I was a little busy to notice myself. He should have…felt something going on in here."

My mortification grew ten fold when I realized that he had probably let his power run haywire _and_ the whole family most likely heard us. I groaned and buried my face in my hands.

"Everyone thinks I'm a hooker now," I cried mournfully.

"Actually, no. Everyone except Carlisle seems to have left the house. Even he just came back in, I think. He is feeling extremely guilty…and a little disturbed."

He chuckled as he whispered the last part in my ear for only me to hear. His words and his arm wrapping around me soothed my jumping nerves.

"Well…it could have been worse."

"Yes, it could have. I'm also sure Rosalie and Emmett have been caught in much worse positions."

I shuddered in revulsion at that thought. _Ew! My brother and my sister…ew squared! That is a mental picture I did _not_ need._ I sighed, turning to Jasper.

"Can we get out of here before I make an even bigger hooker out of myself for our family's benefit…please?"

Jasper sighed, then picked my up and carried me toward the door.

"All right. Close your eyes and hold on tight."

I did so as he stepped out onto the porch. _I hate running. I'm going to lose my cookies one of these days if he keeps doing this._ I felt as my stomach dropped with his take-off.

* * *

It was about noon when we got back to my apartment. Jasper practically shoved food down my throat before he'd let me start packing my valuables. Like a sulking child, I sat with my arms folded as he spooned yogurt into my mouth. I grabbed the granola bar with my last scrap of dignity and ate it myself, glaring at him the whole time. When I'd finished, he pulled boxes from God knew where and sat them in the middle of the living room.

"Okay, then. You can pack the most important things to you into these boxes. We have to leave most of your things here for…when we stage your death. It has to be deemed possible that you just disappeared."

I really didn't want to bring this up, but it seemed like it had to be done.

"It won't matter, Jasper."

"Why? It'll fool the police—"

"Maybe, but it won't fool my mom."

Sensing my nervousness, he placed a hand on my shoulder and led me to the couch. He seated himself, then dragged me onto his lap. I laid my head on his shoulder and started to spill the secret I'd kept from him since day one.

Songs for chapter: **Animals**-Nickleback, **Please Remember**-LeAnn Rimes


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Jasper's hands soothed me; the waves of calm he sent over me brought my heartbeat down and slowed my breathing. I was so nervous that, for once, it didn't put me to sleep.

"Okay…first of all, I want to say that I'm sorry I never told you this before. Second of all, you aren't allowed to speak until I say you can. Thirdly…I want to say sorry again."

I took a deep breath and was grateful that he was already obeying my wish for silence.

"I know this is going to sound absolutely ridiculous…never mind, forgot I'm talking to a vampire. So…my mom and I both have these…weird dreams. They're always really vivid, like watching a movie in our heads. Sometimes they can be good dreams and sometimes they're bad. They always involve the dreamer directly, and can maybe be about someone really close to us.

"The weird thing about these dreams is that they always turn out to be déjà vu. I guess they're like Alice's visions, except ours never change. We normally get them only once, then have to wait until what we see happens. It always does. They're really rare.

"I've had two since I got here. The first one was the night I met you. I dreamed that I was getting ready to see you, except I couldn't see your face when I opened the door. I knew you were coming later. That happened the night I went back to work after the weekend.

"The second one was the night you got my letter. I dreamed that you'd told me something really unbelievable. It scared me to death, whatever it was, and I saw that my fear was hurting you. That's when I woke up. You know when that happened."

"Okay…in conclusion to this rambling, I am a freak. So's my mom. That's how she'll know I'm not really dead. I also want to tell you again that I'm sorry for not telling you before and I understand if you're mad. I'll still love you. You can run screaming for the door now."

He was still as a statue under me and just as unresponsive, so I figured I'd save him the trouble of moving me when he bolted for the door. I climbed off his lap and went into the kitchen to get some water. My throat had a huge lump in it and my mouth was suddenly as dry as the Sahara desert.

My shaky hands grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water, placing it to my lips. I gulped the water but still felt the lump in my throat. Knowing it was tears that stayed stuck, I sat the glass on the counter and went back into the living room.

Seeing that the couch was now empty, a shot of misery ran through me. _I should have told him. Now he hates me._ Not able to handle being in either of the other rooms in my apartment, I shut myself into the bathroom. Briefly, I sat on the closed toilet lid, thinking. My gaze zoned on the shower head.

After a moment, the image must have subconsciously gotten to me. A shower sounded really good, so I stripped and started the hot water. Taking my time, I shampooed my hair and washed myself with the thick, fragrant lather of my body wash. The normal scent of gardenia was comforting.

With my shower finished, I turned off the faucet and toweled off. Cursing myself for forgetting clothing, I wrapped myself in the damp towel and stomped across the hall to my bedroom. I grabbed my favorite pink tank top and matching badonkadonk shorts. After slathering myself in baby powder and lotion, I pulled the clothing on and happened to glance at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It flashed 4:00 at me. _Wow…did I lose track of time or what? Time passes fast when you're feeling like an idiot._ A sudden sharp knock on my bedroom door had me jumping, my eyes snapping to it.

"Damn it, Samantha! What are you doing in there?"

_Jasper? He's here! Jasper! _I ran across the room, flinging the door open. When I saw his standing there, that adorable look of frustration on his face, my knees almost gave way. To keep myself off the floor, I flung myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his neck.

"I'm glad to see you, too, darlin'. Care to tell me why you've been avoiding me if you missed me so much?"

I pulled back, eyeing him with confusion.

"_I_ was avoiding _you_? You were gone when I came out of the kitchen."

"No, I wasn't. I was on my cell phone in the hallway. Alice called and told me she saw what you told me. Your mother is apparently going to think that you ran off with me."

"Wait, what? I've only mentioned you for about two seconds in a conversation. How does she find out—oh…I never called her after we got engaged."

"Apparently, you're going to call her. Alice said that you will convince her that you're okay and you'll be happy no matter what, so she'll ignore those 'dreams' of yours. Speaking of which, why didn't you tell me about them before now?"

I sighed, looking away and walking to the bed. As I felt him sit beside me, I sighed again before speaking.

"I know this sounds stupid, but…I didn't want you to think I'm a freak. Yeah, you're a vampire with empathetic powers and your brother can read minds and your sister can see the future. So what?"

"I love you. Nothing you can tell me would make that go away."

I smiled in spite of myself.

"You know, I've only told one other person beside my mom about my dreams: my best friend in elementary school. Amanda. I dreamed that her mom and brother would get into a deadly car accident if they went on the trip they were planning. She laughed at me and called me a freak. She even decided to go with them because her dad was going out of town and didn't want to stay with her aunt."

"Oh, my love. You are not a freak and it certainly wasn't your fault she got in the car with her family. None of this is your fault. Do you understand me?"

He shook me lightly as I ignored him. I looked in his eyes as he grabbed my chin in his fingers and raised my face to his. The whisper of a kiss he planted on me shook me. Only one other person had ever shown me tenderness like this.

"Do you, understand me, private?"

I sighed, wrapping my arms around his neck as he pulled me into his lap.

"Sir, yes, sir. I really am sorry I didn't tell you."

"I know you are. You've told me now, so it doesn't matter," he said, throwing my words back at me.

I grinned as I rose on my knees, straddling him. I kissed hip cool lips with relish. His arms snaked around my back, his hands resting precariously close to my butt. _Come on…move your hands down just—ahhh!_ I hissed in pleasure as he read my mind and clapped his hands down gently, rubbing ever so slightly.

"Hmmm…that feels…Jasper," I gasped as his lips made contact with the sensitive spot under my ear. Unconsciously, I rocked forward, my hips grinding into his. Our moans filled the room at the touch. I was suddenly under him, lying on my back. He pulled away with his hands still touching me. They moved up my arms and pinned them to the pillow on either side of my head.

"Darlin', if you want to finish packing, you'd better stop testing my restraint."

I grinned as I felt evidence of his trials brushing against my thigh. Sighing, I patted his cheek as he released my hands.

"I know that. Thank you. Let's get this shit packed!"

* * *

Two hours later, I'd chosen the most important photos, books, clothing, and random knick-knacks and had them packed away in the back of Emmett's Jeep. Jasper had called him when he realized how much I was planning on taking with us to Alaska. I think I heard him and Emmett grumbling about women and their stuff, but I graciously decided to ignore them.

Seeing the things I knew I'd leave behind sent a small twinge of sadness through me. I'd collected these small tokens with the spare change I'd saved and had gotten them as presents. But, remembering what I'd be getting in return, the sadness disappeared and a grin spread across my face.

The reminder of what I'd get was now resting on the fourth finger of my left hand. Glancing at it now, my grin grew. Jasper had left me with Em for an unknown (to me) space of time that afternoon and had come back excited as a kid in a candy shop. He'd proceeded to drop to one knee and open up the tiny velvet box in his hand.

Inside was the most perfect ring ever: the pink gold setting held a one carat diamond, which was framed by two smaller pink sapphires. Jasper knew exactly what would suit me; pink is my favorite color and the stones were decently sized (in other words, not gaudy). I burst into tears and threw myself at him, knocking us both to the floor. I had just started kissing him when Emmett walked in and right back out with a pithy comment.

"Can you two get a room already?"

My clever response was shouted down the stairwell after him.

"We did, Emmett. You just happen to be a peeping Tom!"

I blushed as I turned and spotted my next-door neighbor staring at me. Mumbling an apology, I hurried back into my apartment, glaring at Jasper when he dared to snicker. I sighed, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. _Emmett brings out the worst in me, I swear. He's as bad as Matt._

* * *

That night after we'd chased Emmett away, Jasper and I sat huddled on the couch watching bad reality television. My legs were sprawled across his lap, my head resting on his chest. His hands were tracing circles in the skin between the edge of my top and the waistband of my badonkadonk shorts along my spine. This was capturing my interest more than the dumb show we were watching.

The conversation we'd had earlier was also weighing on my mind. Jasper had told me that we were leaving the next day for Alaska. Carlisle and Edward were coming with us and Esme would come up with the rest of our siblings after closing up the house. I felt intensely guilty about making his family move, but he assured me again that we moved as a unit.

I was also a little nervous about my transformation. This was, according to Jasper, going to happen a day after we'd settled into their home in Denali. Jasper and Carlisle both warned me about the three days worth of pain, and I knew I was crap at handling pain.

I'd said as much and Jasper stared at me for the longest time with guilt in his eyes. Thankfully, Carlisle had been there and assured me they'd try some morphine through the worst of it. This was a huge relief. I'd hate every second, but I could manage then.

It was Jasper that worried me the most. His guilt and worry were already starting to drive everyone up the wall. I knew him well enough to know why he felt so badly: he thought this whole thing was his fault. For him, if I hadn't been involved with him in the first place, the vampire wouldn't track me, therefore necessitating my change.

I vehemently denied this, trying to make him see that I'd have gotten myself in trouble here in the first place. Showing him how happy he made me was also a goal. Regardless of consequences, I wouldn't give him up for anything, nor he me. This was one thing we blissfully agreed on. Our life together would be worth these obstacles now.

This happy thought had me sighing and pulling myself closer to Jasper, grasping his torso now for dear life. He chuckled and I felt his lips brush the top of my head. His arms gently gave me a squeeze.

"Isn't it time for you to go to sleep?"

I glanced at the clock: 9:45.

"Hardly. It isn't even ten yet."

"You are so stubborn. Why do I bother?"

I heard the frustration in his voice and rose, again straddling his hips. His eyes wouldn't meet mine and his rigidity had my stomach skittering. I leaned down, my forehead resting on his.

"Because you worry about me. I love you for that, you know."

"I do know. I love you for your stubbornness…most of the time. I don't think I'd have you any other way, darlin'."

I grinned, brushing his lips with mine. When I heard his breathing kick up, I nipped his bottom lip with my teeth.

"I'll make you a deal: you can take me to bed…if I don't have to sleep right away."

He caught my drift and grinned. My legs locked around his waist as he stood, walking us both to my bedroom. I flopped back onto the bed and stared up at him, grinning like an idiot.

"I think I can live with that. What exactly did you have in mind, my love?"

"Dunno, honey. Can't tell you. Maybe come here and I can show you."

I giggled as he fell on top of me, gently tickling my sides as he pulled up my tank top. _Oh, I can show you, all right. Thank God for this_, I thought as he started to kiss my neck. I sighed, letting him take me over.

Songs for the chapter: **But I Do Love You**-LeAnn Rimes, **Bleeding Love**-Leona Lewis, & **Love is a Drug**-Jypsi

* * *

_**Okay...not much plot development other than finally getting to know what the ring looks like, learning about Sam's freaky dreams, and finding out Rosalie isn't a hard core bitch. If you liked this little bit of fluff (AKA the calm before the storm), review! You'll get snippets of chapters 17 and 18. Thanks, you guys are fabulous! Samantha**_

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

* * *

_**Okay, kids. Here is the first of two chapters for the day. Thanks to my reviewers for last chapter: '-'IncubusHelen'-', .twilight.is.here., and AN Zoriah. On with today's drama-y goodness;) See you at the end of chapter 18!**_

* * *

**Chapter 17**

I woke up to pounding on my front door the next morning. Groaning, I rolled over and buried myself deeper in my pillows and blankets. Sighing, I tried to fall back asleep.

"I take it that means you want _me_ to answer the door?"

My moan had Jasper chuckling and I felt his weight leave the bed. The bedroom door opened and that was the last thing I heard before I fell back to sleep.

An hour later, I woke up again and my bed was empty of vampires. It was deathly quiet in the whole apartment. This worried me a bit, since I figured Jasper was watching television. Crawling out of bed, I grabbed a knee-length pink fluffy robe. Opening the door, I peaked out into the hallway.

No one was there, so I figured it was safe to venture out. I paused and listened for any signs of life. Hearing nothing and suddenly feeling thirsty, I made my way to the kitchen. The living room was empty, as was the kitchen.

I was completely confused and a little scared. Jasper wasn't that irresponsible; he would have left me a note or woken me up if he'd have to leave. My mind ran through various scenarios of the violence Jasper could be facing while I drank a glass of water. I lingered over it, hoping he was here somewhere and would show himself.

Minutes passed, and still nothing. I moved into the living room and plopped on the couch, no longer confused and very worried. Something had happened…I knew it. I stared at the blank television screen until I heard Jasper's ring tone from under me. _Ok…no room in these clothes to have that thing, so it's got to be in the damn couch._

I jumped up and ripped the cushions off. My phone was sitting there, ringing away. I swore and quickly picked it up.

"Samantha?"

"Jasper! Where—"

"Thank God! You're all right?"

"I'm fine, Jazz. What—"

"Stay right where you are. We're coming to get you now."

I heard the click of him hanging up before I could ask him my bazillion questions. I shook my head and raced into my bedroom to change. Stripping and tossing my clothes in the laundry basket, I rushed to my dresser and pulled out a pink Hawkeyes shirt and a pair of jeans. Quickly slathering on the Love Spell and baby powder, I pulled the clothes on.

After I was dressed, I ran around cramming things into my purse. My cell phone and charger, iPod and dock, lip balm, lotion, and wallet all went in. Then, I remembered my wallet and cell phone had to stay. Thankfully, I'd called my mom and brother and grandparents the day before so I could leave it and the numbers it contained behind. As I was pulling this stuff out, the door burst open and effectively scared me shitless. My head snapped up and I saw Jasper and Edward standing in the doorway.

"Damn it! Can you people ever _not_ scare the living daylights out of me?"

"Come on, Samantha. We have to leave now."

"Now? Why? Shit! Is he already here?"

He shook his head as he quickly came to my side and threw me on his back.

"No, he isn't, but Alice saw him arriving around sunset. We need to be out of town before he gets here."

"Okay…get me the hell out of here, then."

He took off, leaving me looking over my shoulder at Edward, who was locking the door behind us. He then proceeded to drop them into the potted plant next to my door. I lost sight of him then as Jasper ran down the stairs and to the Jeep with vampire speed. This was a bit unexpected and left me dizzy.

I tried to regain my equilibrium as Jasper buckled me into the passenger seat. His proximity didn't help and I pushed him away, determined to not throw up in front of him or his brother. And I knew Emmett would kick my ass if I threw up in his Jeep. Seeing that I had the damn off-roading harness under control, Jasper quickly moved to the driver's side as Edward suddenly appeared in the seat behind me. I noticed him in my mirror and jerked in response.

"Jesus! Maybe putting a fricking bell around your necks will stop me from having a heart attack!"

He grinned at me as I rolled my eyes.

"Just because we can hear you a mile away…"

"Oh, shut up, Eddie."

That wiped the smug little grin off his face. It was my turn to smirk.

"I've told you and Emmett a million times: don't cal me Eddie!"

"Sure, Ed. Whatever you say."

I had to bite my cheek to keep in laughter as I heard his growl. I suddenly felt a wave of calm go through me and turned to glare at Jasper. He looked at me sheepishly and then back to the road as he pulled onto it.

"What? I am _not_ putting up with cranky Edward and giddy Samantha the whole way to Alaska! Depressed Edward is enough to deal with."

"Whatever, emo boy. Where is Carlisle?"

"We're picking him up at the hospital on our way out of town. He'd scheduled a shift for this morning, thinking we would leave tonight."

"Oh. I'm sorry about this, you guys," I said as I caught Edward's eyes in the mirror. I felt Jasper squeeze my hand and glanced over at him. My heart skipped when his lips brushed across my knuckles. _Damn it, could I make more of a hussy out of myself in front of this family?_ I whipped around as Edward chuckled from the back seat.

"What? You, Rosalie and Esme are the only ones who haven't seen…us…and now you have, too. It's humiliating!"

He chuckled again, leaning forward and gently squeezing my shoulder.

"You'll find privacy comes at a steep price in our family. You'll also find we chose to ignore these kinds of moments with each other…most of the time. I can promise you that we've all been caught in…compromising positions at one time or another."

"That makes me feel so much better," I said, rolling my eyes. Sensing my sarcasm, he grinned and let it drop.

I looked back out the windshield and realized we were already at the hospital and spotted Carlisle hurrying toward us. Turning when he climbed into the backseat, I smiled at him apologetically.

"Thank you, Carlisle. I appreciate all of you helping me."

His responding smile was warm and affectionate.

"Anything for family, dear heart. Shall we be on our way, then?"

* * *

I was bored. I was beyond bored. I was so bored that I was willing to smash my own head against the window next to me to stop the tedium. Jasper sighed next to me. I felt Edward hitting his head against the back of my seat in frustration…though I couldn't blame him because the song that never ends was playing over and over in my head. I caught a glimpse of him as I looked in my mirror trying to find something interesting. He glared at me and I rolled my eyes in response.

"What? I hate long car rides. I didn't think to grab something for myself to do. Ergo, I am b-o-r-e-d! See, I'm bored enough to spell! I really wish I had a book right now," I mumbled to myself. Edward sneered and let out a barking laugh.

"I'll tell you what you can do with your bloody book, you brat!"

"Edward! Samantha! Both of you stop this! You are both adults. Act like it!"

After his outburst, Carlisle broodingly stared out the window. I looked away guiltily.

"Sorry, all of you. I'll try to find a way to occupy myself."

I started digging through my purse and started bouncing in excitement as I found my iPod. Edward chuckled behind me as Jasper and Carlisle looked confused. I pulled out my little pink shuffle and held it up victoriously.

"I totally forgot I had this. Do you have some place I can plug this in?"

Jasper pointed tersely to the dock hidden under the ashtray. I sighed in relief as I flipped the iPod on and plugged it in.

"I can keep myself occupied for hours listening to music. Thank God!"

"I second that!"

Glaring over my shoulder at my smart-assed brother, I grinned as I heard the first song start to play. Edward nodded his approval at my song choice. _I'll Follow the Sun_ by the Beatles played over Emmett's kicking sound system. I closed my eyes and slouched back in the seat. Jasper's hand found mine and squeezed gently. I squeezed back without opening my eyes as a smile spread across my face. The next song started playing and I heard Edward gagging. I spoke to him without opening my eyes.

"What now, O great king of music?"

"Pffft…Aqua? Honestly? We are going to have to change your taste in music, dear sister."

I grinned at his mix of slang (all acquired from me) and his smooth dialect.

"You can try…let's see what else I've got on here, you snob."

I leaned forward and clicked to the next song, changing the song until I found one I thought my brother might approve. I sat back as _Pretty Handsome Awkward_ by The Used blared. I felt a little smug about this choice.

"Not bad, Sam. The Used is a pretty decent group."

The song drifted to a close and changed to an orchestral version of Debussy's _Claire de Lune_. I smiled to myself. _I love this song…Debussy is a genius!_ I heard Edward sputtering.

"You know Debussy?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, I do. I hate that people are breaking his work down into fricking mathematical formulas. He was _not_ incorporating the Fibonacci sequence into his pieces, damn it! What? It was my term paper in my last semester of music history," I said and shrugged as his jaw dropped.

"Hmmm…you really are a constant surprise. Nicely put, Jasper."

My gaze flickered to Jasper's as he glanced over at me in embarrassment. _He's been talking about me to his family a lot, then. We're so having a chat about that later._ As I listened to the piece, calm ran through me.

The calm left when the song shuffled to Sweet's _Little Willy_. Edward snorted from the backseat as I hurriedly switched to the next song. Carlisle didn't seem to be listening to the music, but it was still humiliating to have any reference to genitalia around when it comes to your future father-in-law.

These song critiques went on the whole way to Alaska. We listened to OneRepublic, Three Days Grace, Sara Bareilles, Godsmack (Edward just _had_ to say that name out loud in front of the pastor's son), Keane, Stone Temple Pilots…in other words, everything under the sun. I think Edward and I were the only ones actually paying attention to the tunes, and we bonded over our shared love of music on that ride.

* * *

We finished the ride that never ended around six o'clock. During that time of year, it gets dark about that time, so I couldn't see much of my new home. I could, however, see the sheer ginormousness of it. _Do we have a fricking mansion everywhere we ever go?_ Edward chuckled and answered my thoughts.

"Actually, we have similar homes throughout the world. We rotate between them. Since we don't age, it tends to catch attention if we look the same year after year."

"That makes sense, I suppose. You could go years without human contact, though, if you wanted. Why don't you? You wouldn't have to move so much and it'd be a hell of a lot easier to stick to your diet."

Carlisle chuckled and put his arm around my shoulder, leading me to the house as Jasper and Edward brought in the boxes from the Jeep. He was actually quite good at steering me around objects I'd trip over as he spoke.

"Yes, it would be easier to just avoid humans. The temptation would be taken away. Sadly, you'd be surprised how lonely that can make one's…existence. We'd have each other, but every one needs diversity in their acquaintances. I also feel like it's my responsibility to use my talents to help as many people as I can. This is why I am a doctor."

"I think maybe you're trying to make up for what you think you are."

I blushed when he looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have—"

"It's quite all right. In any case, I think you may have been right about my intentions at the beginning. Now, though, I feel that my purpose in life was to be what and who I am to so many."

As he said this, we walked over the threshold of the glorious house. It was eerily calm, everything covered in white sheets. I suppressed a shudder at the desolation of the house. Carlisle was staring intently at my face, trying to gage my reaction. I saw the corners of his mouth twitch as he finally looked away.

"It is rather…grim now, but Esme did a fantastic job decorating. We'll feel more at home when we get all of these sheets and such squared away. You can go ahead and take a look at the rest. We'll be just outside, lugging in those boxes of yours."

I grinned at him, quietly murmuring my thanks before turning to the stairway and starting my ascent. My hand trailed along the banister as I went and collected the layer of dust that had settled on it since the Cullens had been here the last time. _Esme would have a fit if she saw this._ I wiped my hand on my jeans and went down the hallway, making sure to turn on lights as I went.

Seeing a door to my left, I opened it and flipped the light switch. The walls were blush pink. All of the fabric in the room matched it; the sheets, the covering for the chair at the vanity table, the canopy over the bed. I shuddered. _Too much pink, even for me. This has to be Alice's room. _I quickly exited, shutting the door behind me.

I crossed the hall and went into that room. It held a grand piano covered in the damn white sheet that covered the rest of the house. Its bench rested in its normal position. The walls of this room were covered with CDs. Noticing the stereo equipment in the corner, I high-tailed it out of the room before I could give in to temptation and break it.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance as I heard Edward laughing at me from outside. _Shut up, Eddie. I'm being nice to your little toys, aren't I? I could be not so nice…that's what I thought_, I told him smugly as I heard his laughter abruptly stop. Grinning, I left this room, as well.

Walking further down the hall, I decided to ignore the rest of the rooms on the floor. I followed the stairs up to the "attic" and stopped in my tracks as I took it all in. _This has to be Jasper's room._ There were shelves of books covering the walls, which looked to be a tasteful dusty yellow-gold.

The fabric in this room starkly contrasted with this color. Every surface seemed to be covered in black. There was no bed here, only a settee. I pulled the sheet off it and gasped. It was made of black iron, plumped yellow-gold pillows scattered on it. It had to be the longest settee I'd ever seen, but it would have to be for Jasper's tall form. It made me want to flop down on it and fall asleep for days. However, knowing it was only 6:30 and if I slept now, I'd pay for it later, I simply settled for running my hands over the soft upholstery.

My grumbling stomach had me rolling my eyes and wandering back out the door of Jasper's…our bedroom. He'd probably packed enough food for an army into that Jeep for me, and I was going to eat it while I still could.

* * *

That night, Carlisle explained what would be happening the next day. We all thought it would be smart to change me early since the other vampire showed up early. So, my dinner that night was to be my last meal. Carlisle explained that it would be better to change on an empty stomach. This would also be my last night of sleep, since the pain would probably keep me awake until the change was finished. I already knew they were trying morphine during, so maybe the pain would be lessened.

I was grateful that Carlisle and Edward were there to help me through it. Also, I knew Jasper would need someone to keep him sane if I screamed my head off. This would almost literally kill him again. Edward could watch everyone's thoughts and Carlisle had been through seven transformations including his own. Esme and the rest would be here tomorrow night, too, so I knew that Jasper would have plenty of help getting through this, as would I.

Despite all of this, I was still slightly afraid. Would I be a bloodthirsty monster and end up killing an innocent person? What would my family do once they found out I was missing? Will my mom's dream send her after my new family? All of these types of questions ran through my head as Jasper took me to bed that night. Edward was probably going crazy, but had said nothing to Jasper.

He knew anyway, though. I caught his eye more than once during our planning of the next day and saw guilt and sorrow in its depths each time. This sent another bolt of fear through me, too. I was afraid that he would regret letting me be changed later on. All thought of anything momentarily deserted me when he opened his door and I saw the bed sitting in the middle of the room.

It was made of the same black iron as his settee, which was still in its original place. It looked even darker covered in its black sheets. I stopped cold and simply stared at it. Jasper's playful poke in the shoulder brought my attention back to him.

"When did this get here? I did _not_ see this before."

"Edward and Carlisle put it up when you were eating your dinner. Do…do you like it?"

I walked toward the bed in a trance, running my hand over one of the iron posts, noticing the etched detail along it.

"Jasper, I love it. Where did you find this?"

"Alice dragged me on a shopping trip with her two months ago. I'd bet she saw you coming here and us being together."

I grinned and jumped up on the bed, flopping onto my back and staring up at the canopy. Almost hearing Jasper shifting from foot to foot, I glanced over at him and crooked my finger at him. Thankfully, he caught my drift and came to the bed, gently shoving me over to make room for himself. After he'd settled, I basically crawled on top of him, my head on his chest and my leg swung over his waist. I sighed contentedly and closed my eyes. His hand stroked my hair as he murmured to me.

"Are you ready for tomorrow, darlin'?"

"Yes. You already know I'm still sort of scared about it, but with the morphine I'm more worried about you, Jazz. Will you be able to take it?"

"I hope so. Like you said, the meds will help."

"Mmmhmm…I'm glad Carlisle and Edward are here, and that the rest are coming tomorrow. I don't want you to sit there stewing the whole three days, and they won't let you be by yourself to do it."

His snort had me raising my head, looking at him.

"Brooding is Edward's thing. If you think I'm 'all emo' you should hear him."

I rolled my eyes, lying back down.

"You're both too emo for anyone's good."

"Whatever you say. Go to sleep now. You need your rest."

I felt a strong wave of calm wash over me and almost mustered up a frown before he'd knocked me out cold.

Songs for the chapter: **Stuck in the Middle**-Bob Dylan, **Past the Point of No Return**-Andrew Lloyd Webber from _Phantom of the Opera_, & **In My Life**-The Beatles


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

_**Jasper POV**_

I lay thinking that night as my only love slept in my arms. Tomorrow, she would give up her life to be with me. What did I have to give her in return? She'd get an existence of sunless days and living on blood. I grimaced. _Not the fairest trade._ Regardless, she was willing to give me this. I knew she felt she couldn't live without me, and I felt the same, but was this enough? Would this keep her from hating me for letting this happen to her? I prayed to the merciful God who'd brought her to me that she wouldn't, but knew it was useless.

_**My POV**_

I stirred as I felt Jasper's cool lips brushing my cheek. They moved to my lips as I became fully awake. The gentleness of his kisses made my insides turn to mush. I rolled fully on top of him and framed his face with my hands as I stared down at him. I smiled as his knuckles brushed my cheek.

"Morning, darlin'."

"Mmm…good morning."

I leaned down, burying my face in his neck. I felt his chuckle rumble through us as his chin rested on the top of my head.

"This is nice. I can actually touch the top of your head without bending over."

I smacked at him half-heartedly.

"We can't all be six-foot-four behemoths, Jasper."

"I am not a behemoth. I'll have you know that my height is completely average."

"Yeah…on the planet of the giants," I mumbled, rolling off him and crawling off the other side of the bed.

After nearly going headlong into the floor, I crossed the room and grabbed clothes out of the suitcase Jasper had brought up. Turning to him, I raised an eyebrow and glanced meaningfully at the door. In the next instant, his face was inches from mine. I fought to stay my ground and won. My knees embarrassingly wobbled when his lips touched my ear. His whisper sent shivers up my spine.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before, darlin'."

He backed away with a smug look on his face. Watching him stroll back to the bed and sit on the edge, I collected myself. At that moment, he looked like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. I rolled my eyes and turned around, thankful my voice was strong as I spoke.

"You won't be seeing it again for a long time if you don't get your fine southern ass out of this room!"

He grinned wider as he lay back on the bed, his head cushioned with his hands.

"My ass is happy where it is."

I gritted my teeth, annoyed beyond belief. Grabbing my clothes, I walked toward the door.

"Suit yourself. I'm taking a shower. See you downstairs."

I went into the small bathroom that was attached to the bedroom, intending to slam the door behind me. However, it seemed to be blocked by a huge piece of…stone. I sighed in frustration and glared at him.

"That wasn't an invitation, slick. Out."

_**WARNING: LEMON CONTENT! SKIP TO THE NEXT PAGE BREAK TO AVOID LEMON!!**_

* * *

He was in my face, causing me to back up to avoid any contact with him. As I ran into the counter, he kicked the door shut behind him and stalked toward me. _Oh, hell! I'm so screwed…literally and figuratively. How the hell do I trap myself like this?_ I was suddenly on the counter, his face buried in my hair. My heart skipped a beat, then started up again at a frenzied pace. As his lips moved onto my neck, my legs slipped open of their own free will, allowing him to stand between them. His lips slid back up to my ear, whispering so only I could hear.

"No one is here. Let me love you, Samantha."

My arms slid around him then, my hands delving into his glorious hair. His face gently nuzzled my chest through the fabric of my top. I felt his hands sliding slowly up my back, taking the shirt with them. He whispered to me as his lips moved back up my neck.

"You are my life now. Only you, my lovely."

I shuddered at his deeply thickened accent, knowing it was his desire and love for me that made him this way. My head fell back limply as he returned to his ministrations on my neck. I spoke through the haze in my brain.

"Love you…so much…need you…"

Speech became impossible as his lips grazed my ear lobe. Communication was reduced to moans and sighs as his clever hands slid my top over my head, tossing it away. A sudden need to run my hands over his bare chest struck me and I tugged his shirt off, as well.

I sighed in satisfaction as my hands glided over the smooth expanse of his torso, finally sliding around his neck and pulling him closer. The contact of his cold chest against mine had my breath hissing out in pleasure. My lips melded to his as my legs wound themselves around his waist. I pulled back from the kiss, my teeth slightly biting his lower lip. The growl coming from his mouth had me grinning as I whispered.

"Take me to bed, Jazz. Love me, please."

His breath whooshed out on a sigh as his hands went to my butt, cupping it as he carried me into the other room. Since his hands were…occupied…I pulled the door open as his nose glided along my jaw line, raising goose bumps up and down my arms.

As soon as the damn door was out of the way, he bolted to the bed. In seconds, he had me under him, his hands at the waistband of my panties. Sliding them down agonizingly slow, he tortured me while his lips again met mine. As I gasped for air, his hands lifted my hips and my last remaining article of clothing off. My hands went to the button of his jeans as his hands caressed my hips and my thighs. I managed to tug his pants to his knees, then in a flash had taken them off himself, flinging them to the floor.

I let my hand slide down his body, watching his eyes nearly turn to black as I lightly took him in my hand. We both moaned at the contact, loving the feel of each other. My hand moved up slowly, making him freeze in place. As I continued to stroke, he seemed to relax. As his hand slid up my thigh, his fingers finding my core, it was my turn to freeze. My body instinctively arched into his, my hands grasping for something to keep me grounded…which is why Jasper's free hand trapped mine above my head. He growled in my ear, making me shiver.

"You're testing my control, my lovely. Take it easy."

His fingers again found my center, sending my hips off the bed in response. My breathing was ragged as I stared up at him. His eyes were still black, but were gentler now. My eyes rolled back in my head and I moaned in ecstasy as his cool fingers traced my sensitive nub. I nearly went over the edge then, but he luckily pulled back.

My hands were still trapped by his as I lay staring at him. I was taking in gasping breaths now and my hips were twitching on their own. I whimpered when his hand slid up my torso, hesitating before his fingers gently brushed my nipple. My back again instinctively arched up to meet him and my moan echoed around the room. My sanity flew out the window.

"Jasper, now…please," I begged him.

My legs locked around his waist as he slid into me. The coolness in my heat drove me crazy, and in that moment, I wanted to drive him equally insane. I lightly squeezed him and watched his eyes go pitch black and roll back in his head. His hands fisted the pillow on either side of my head.

My hands slid over his shoulders and down his back, stopping when the reached his butt. Gently squeezing that with my hands, I tensed my legs. This pulled him deeper into me and we both gasped and moaned. Squeezing him again, I lay sloppy, wet kisses up his neck, the trail ending when I bit into his earlobe. The growl of approval spurned me on and I kissed my way down to his lips and across to give the same treatment to his other ear.

He pulled back, stared down at me for a millisecond, then his lips found their way to my neck as he started to move in me. I met his pace and we slowly built ourselves to release. His cry came when I squeezed myself around him one last time. Feeling his cool release inside me sent me over the edge, echoing his moan of delight.

* * *

We lay there, too spent to move an inch. My breathing matched his harsh near-hyperventilating pattern. After my heart jumped back in my chest and I regained lung function, I contentedly sighed and closed my eyes. I'm sure my grin was big, dumb, and stupid as could be. Hearing Jasper chuckle weakly next to my ear had me cracking one eye. His face was split by the same goofy grin.

"Well…we've certainly turned into a couple of nymphomaniacs, haven't we?"

His witty observation had me laughing unexpectedly. My body shook with it, as did the bed when Jasper joined me. I collapsed against him when I'd exhausted myself. I slung my arm across his torso and my leg across his stomach.

"That pretty much just made my day! I love you, Jasper."

"I love you, too, lovely. Which made your day, darlin'?"

I smirked at he fished for a compliment

"Hmmm…the sex was _very_ nice, but I was referring to your clever comment."

"Not clever, darlin', simply fact. You're exhausted. How about you take a quick cat nap?"

I yawned hugely, negating the comment I'd been ready to make about being wide-awake.

"I could use an hour's sleep, I suppose."

"How about you sleep until you wake up on your own?"

"Wake me in an hour…please?"

His breath whooshed out and I grinned, mustering enough energy to prop myself on my elbow and grin at him before kissing him lightly on the mouth.

"Thanks, honey. Will you stay?"

"Of course. Get under those blankets and let me pull on my jeans and I'm your alarm clock."

As he pulled on his clothing, I quickly found my panties and tank top and pulled them on before getting back in bed. I snuggled myself into his side and threw my arm over his chest. Already half asleep, I pressed a kiss to it and murmured a slurred 'I love you' before I was fully out.

* * *

When I woke up, I was alone in our bed. Sighing in frustration, I sat up, looking around the room. Not finding Jasper, I crawled out of bed and stripped before going into the bathroom. I quickly showered in the warmest manageable water to get rid of the subtle, but not unwanted, aches. Feeling more myself, I toweled myself off and dressed in the clothing I'd left on the counter before Jasper's and my encounter that morning. Opening the bathroom door, I heard murmuring from outside the door. I crept closer to listen.

"Jasper, it has to be now! The tracker will find her and then you won't _have_ a choice. Is that what you want?"

I heard him sigh as Carlisle berated him. I could imagine him running his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Of course not. But, we could hide her here and you know he'd never find her. Alice would see him coming, Edward would hear him, and I'd certainly feel him. All of you would sense him, too. We could wait for—"

It was Edward who interrupted Jasper's tirade.

"You can't put this off forever, you know. She's human, she'll die all on her own someday."

I jumped back as I heard something crash into the wall beside the door.

"Shut up, Edward! You have no idea!"

"On the contrary. I know more about it that you'd expect. She'll know something is wrong. Samantha is extremely intelligent and can see right through you on your best day. Do you think she'd stay if she realized you don't want her changed now?"

My legs gave out from under me as this information sank in. I plopped onto my butt in the middle of the floor. The door suddenly opened and revealed Carlisle's sympathetic face. Jasper's appeared by his and I saw Edward streak off down the stairs.

I couldn't feel what my face was doing through the numbness that had settled over me, but it must have been bad. Jasper looked like a deer in the headlights and Carlisle's eyes widened. Jasper pushed past him and started toward me. He stopped when I flinched back. The pain on his face instantly had anger coursing through me and burning off the numb fog. Apparently, this showed in my features, too, because both of them took a step back.

"When the hell were you going to tell me you don't want me changed, Jasper?"

His guilty look confirmed the fact that he wouldn't have. I got up in his face.

"You know what, hillbilly? Contrary to popular belief, you can't always get what you want. I refuse to let some sadomasochist vampire have me. This is about what I want now, and I want to live, damn it! Carlisle?"

He flinched as I turned to him. I took a calming breath and tried again.

"Carlisle, I still very much want to be a member of your family. Will you still change me?"

He glanced at Jasper; that had me grinding my teeth and clenching my hands at my sides.

"It isn't his decision, Carlisle. Can I count on you to help me?"

He stared into my eyes for a long moment, then his head nodded at me slowly.

"Yes, daughter. I will help you."

I grinned and threw my arms around him.

"Thank you, Dad."

I ignored Jasper's roar of fury and pulled back, still only looking at my father.

"Can we do this today? I want to start before Mom and the others get here."

"Of course, dear heart. But first, you have some things to discuss with our Jasper. Come to me when you're ready to start."

He kissed me on the forehead and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"You are not doing this, Samantha."

I slowly turned to him, furious at him for lying to me.

"I beg to differ. I told you: I am not willing to sacrifice my life to this psychopath to satisfy you. He will not have me, damn you."

"He won't get near you, Samantha! We will all protect you from him."

"And I'm supposed to let you? I couldn't live with myself if any of you got hurt trying to."

"We're vampires. We won't be hurt."

I sighed, looking away. He wasn't listening.

"It isn't just about this crazy vampire, Jasper. Well, at least it wasn't until now."

He flinched as he grasped my meaning.

"I won't let you give up having a normal life for me."

"My life has never been normal. _I_ am not normal. Besides, who are you to say what I want for my life?"

"I'm the person who loves you more than anything."

"Yet you're willing to make me unhappy for the rest of my "normal" life?"

"I know you'd be unhappy at first, but you'd move on…"

He trailed off when he felt my heart breaking. I took a long moment to collect myself.

"Do you honestly think that? You think that my love for you will just disappear if I stay human?"

His silence confirmed that he did, and ripped my soul in two, as well.

"After I've shown you I love you a million ways, shown you I need you, you still don't think I love you like I say I do. You are a fucking coward, you stupid bastard. I know you've felt it…you are obviously choosing to ignore it. Fine, then. You can go to Hell, Jasper. I hate you for making me think that you wanted me forever. Get the hell out of my sight, you piece of SHIT!"

He stared at me for a minute. Softly, he cleared his throat.

"This is _my_ room."

I saw red as I screamed at him. I'm not even sure what I said or what I did, but Edward told me later that he'd never heard a woman curse so much and he'd had to pull me off Jasper.

The next thing I knew, I was laying in the middle of a ginormous bed, covered with a thick forest green comforter. My mouth felt like I'd eaten a billion cotton balls and tasted like vomit. I could feel the tear streaks on my cheeks and my eyes were still burning. I sat up, rubbing them.

"Are you all right?"

I jumped at the voice, my eyes desperately seeking the source of the disembodied voice. Finding Edward seated in a chair in the corner, I relaxed and smiled slightly at him.

"Seriously…I'm getting you a cowbell for Christmas!"

He chuckled and rose, crossing the distance between us and sitting on the edge of the bed. His 'sit in silence to make her spill her guts' approach worked and I babbled.

"What happened? I feel like shit and you look kind of scared of me. It's not like I can hurt you, you know. I'm just—"

His hand over my mouth silenced my word vomit. I stayed silent as he told me what had happened after I blacked out…well, red-ed out. Ashamed didn't remotely cover it. I was in shock that I'd attacked someone…not that Jasper hadn't deserved it for lying to me for our whole relationship. I still could have handled it without trying to hurt anyone. I stared at the wall blankly until I felt Edward's arm around my shoulders.

"No one blames you, Sam. In fact, Emmett wants to take him out back and flog him."

This mental image had its desired effect: I giggled. However, neither one of us could have seen the torrent of tears that it produced. My body was racked with sobs as I clung to my brother. He murmured to me and ran soothing hands up and down my arms. My face was buried in his shoulder when Emmett came in a minute later.

"Are you crying? Is she crying? I'm going to kill that damn rebel. He's going to _wish_ he were a Yankee by the time I'm finished with him."

I came to my senses then and yelled at him.

"NO! Please, don't. I think I've hurt him enough. Just…leave him alone."

He looked at me like I had five heads and a purple spotted tail. I mustered up a small smile for my brothers.

"Guys, I can't make him want me. It's no one's fault that he doesn't. Please don't punish him for this. He's your family."

The both looked uncomfortably away from me as my tears started again at the thought that he was supposed to be my family, too. Emmett came into the room and sat on my other side, linking all of us together. After I calmed down, I registered the fact that Emmett was there.

"Hold it! Em, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Huh?"

"She doesn't know how long she was out, Emmett."

My eyes snapped to Edward at his comment.

"What are you talking about?"

"You were unconscious for five hours, Sam. It's 8:00."

_Holy shit! Five hours? _Edward nodded somberly and my thoughts spaced off. I barely heard the two of them quietly leave the room. _Wait! Is it still too late to start my change? I can't sit around and wait for that creep to find me!_ I bolted off the bed and ran across the room and out the door, which was still open. Without looking, I barreled into the hallway…and straight into Jasper.

His arms wrapped around me to stop me from hitting the floor as I rammed into him head-on. For a second, I clung to him, my mind not registering what my heart felt. As everything came crashing back to me I pushed him away, effectively knocking myself on my ass. He moved toward me, assumingly to help me up, but I threw up my hands and scooted back.

"Don't _touch_ me!"

I watched the second of pain swim in his eyes, then watched it disappear underneath a coat of blankness. My Jasper was gone. For the first time, I was afraid of the man I loved.

"I apologize. Offense was not meant and it won't happen again."

He was gone with one of his blindingly fast movements. _Shit! What am I doing? He does love me. Why am I pushing him away? I have to talk to him!_ Alice appeared in my line of vision as I made the decision and stood to run after him. She had a raincoat in one hand and a flashlight in the other. I blinked up at her, confused.

"It's going to rain…and you'll get lost after dark without a light."

She smiled sadly at me as she quietly laid the items in my arms. Just as quickly as she'd appeared, she was gone. I'd never seen her so…eerily calm. I didn't like it one bit and knew instinctively that she was sad because of me. Shaking myself out of my reverie, I pulled on the jacket and stuffed the flashlight inside. Grabbing the banister, I ran down the stairs and out the front door with one thought on my mind: find Jasper.

* * *

After an hour of stomping through the underbrush of a freaking Alaskan forest, I was exhausted. My voice was mostly gone because of my screaming. The soles of my feet burned from the abuse. My legs were so tired; I couldn't pick them up off the ground any longer. When I came to a protruding root, I tripped and went down…hard.

As I pulled myself to my feet, my elbows were aching and I was now completely soaked. The sun had started to go down, so that meant the temperature was falling, too. My teeth were chattering as I moved forward at a snail's pace. Jasper's name was a constant drone from my lips.

Suddenly, my feet encountered another root. This time, I couldn't pull myself up again. I simply rolled to my side, keeping up my Jasper chanting. I begged him in my thoughts to find me, to take me home. Time started to blur together…the sun had gone down before I noticed what was going on, and even then it was a passing thought.

After God knew how long of lying there, I heard something approaching me, saying my name. Cold, hard hands touching me were the last memory before I blacked out completely.

Song for the chapter: **Meant to Live**-Switchfoot, **Just Might (Make Me Believe)**-Sugarland & **Fallen**-Sarah McLachlan

* * *

_**Ooh, cliffie! Le gasp! Sorry, but it was a good stopping point and you'll get your resolution tomorrow anyway. Review and you'll get some satisfaction early when I send you snippets from chapters 19 and 20. Thanks, you guys are fabulous!! Samantha**_

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

* * *

_**Hey, all! Here's chapter 19, as promised. Thanks to my reviewers: AN Zoriah, '-'IncubusHelen'-', and .twilight.is.here. You are fabulous readers!**_

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Someone screaming my name woke me up about a minute later. I felt hands lightly slapping my face and I batted them away. They persisted and I moaned, trying to open my eyes. The damn hands kept slapping at me. Whoever it was stopped me from pushing him or her away. Resorting to my only line of defense, I opened my mouth.

"God damn you! Stop slapping me! I'm awake, you moron!"

The hands instantly stopped and I heard a sharp intake of breath. My eyes slowly fluttered open and revealed Jasper's glorious face inches from mine, worry and a bit of panic in his eyes…_my Jasper_. I was ecstatic. I grinned and launched myself at him, my arms nearly choking him as the slid around his neck.

"Jazz! Thank God! You're okay! I've been looking for you for forever! Where were you?"

He remained still and silent. I pulled back and saw that my Jasper was gone again, replaced by the cold, hard man I'd left in his place.

"Oh…sorry."

I moved myself from his lap, trying to stand and failing miserably. My legs gave out and I nearly fell onto the ground. Jasper's hand in mine steadied me on my feet as he rose to his. At his full height and with his now remote face, he made an intimidating figure.

"What are you doing here, Samantha?"

"I was looking for you. You ran out so fast and I—"

"You shouldn't be here."

Pain sliced through me, mincing the confetti of my heart and soul into dust. Anger followed this strongly.

"I'm trying to apologize to you, damn it! Why don't you shut up and listen?"

He remained stoic, staring at me with a raised eyebrow. I took that as a sign to continue.

"Jasper, I'm sorry. I understand why you don't want me to be one of you. You're worried that I'll be angry at you for making me change to be with you. Don't ask me how I know that…it's an epiphany of mine. Anyway, I understand and I realize my reaction was uncalled for. I should have made sure you were okay with me changing, too. Can you forgive me?"

He looked skeptical.

"You really understand? Does that mean you're not going through with it?"

I shook my head and flinched when the small peek of my Jasper was killed by cold Jasper.

"I know that you worry about me hating you, but for Pete's sake, Jazz, that's never going to happen. Didn't you hear me when I told you that I don't want to die? I want to live, Jasper, with you. We're getting married and I'd like to be married to you for longer than eighty measly years. I love you…and I don't want to loose you."

His eyes stayed unreadable as he stared at me. I sighed and felt the dust of my heart and soul dissolve and wash away in this damn rain. Doing the only thing that made sense to my pain-filled brain, I took Jasper's ring off my finger. I grasped his hand and pressed it into his palm, closing his fingers around it.

"It's okay. Don't feel badly for me. I promise, that's the last time you'll hear me say a word about us. Just…please don't run away from your family. They all love you."

The tears were cascading down my cheeks as I stumbled my way past him. I suddenly felt his cool hand on my wrist, stopping me. I looked up at him, curious as to what he could possibly want from me. As I looked in his eyes, I gasped. It was my Jasper! My stomach quivered; I'd missed him.

"What do you think you're doing, missy?"

"Um…it's raining, Jasper. I'm going back to the house."

"No…what the hell is this," he asked, pushing the ring right under my nose.

"It isn't fair of me to keep it. You don't want to anymore, so…"

"Where the hell did you get that idea? I never said any such thing!"

"But…you…huh?"

He chuckled as he pulled me to stand in front of him, pushing the ring back onto my left hand. The jolt of his touch ran through me as his stony skin brushed mine and my heartbeat rocketed. I was still in a bit of shock. His gentle eyes looked down at me with warmth and my heart and soul were suddenly whole again, better than new.

"You were right to be angry, darlin'. I keep telling you that it's stupid of us to speak without knowing what we're talking about. Damn it anyway! I'm sorry, too. Forgive me? Oh, and marry me…again?"

I vigorously nodded my head to both, launching myself at him for the second time in as many minutes. This time, his arms wrapped around me and held me as he spun us around. He stopped and put me on the ground when I sneezed into his shirt. Thankfully, he realized it was blankie time for the human.

* * *

Everyone in the house came rushing towards us as Jasper carried me into the house. He put me on my feet and stood back, throwing me under the fricking bus. I glared at him over Esme's shoulder. His shit-assed grin made my thoughts turn to revenge later. I heard Edward chuckle and glared at him, too.

"Sam, don't you ever scare me like that again! Any number of awful things could have happened to you by yourself!"

"I knew they wouldn't. Alice sent me out to find Jasper."

Esme's horrified gasp was followed by Edward's laughter and Alice's glare in my direction.

"Mary Alice Brandon Cullen! What on Earth were you thinking?"

"It's okay, Mom. I knew she'd be okay…and that they'd set each other straight."

She looked a little less mad, but still pretty pissed. The air was knocked out of me then as Emmett swooped in and smothered me in one of his bear hugs.

"Damn it to Hell, Mighty Mouse! You scared us all with that stunt!"

My fists pounded his chest as Esme scolded him again for swearing.

"Em—can't—BREATHE," I managed to squeak out with the last of my air.

"Oops…sorry, little sis."

I almost fell to the floor into a heap, but Jasper caught my by the elbows and steadied me. The rest of the family gave me Hell for worrying them and went off in their own directions. Jasper and I were soon left alone in the enormous foyer. I turned to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning in.

"So…you really are okay with me changing?"

"I'm looking forward to you being with me forever."

"Me, too…but you didn't answer my question."

"Brilliant observation, Nancy Drew."

I rolled my eyes and kicked his ankle lightly.

"Spit it out, slick…please?"

His whooshing sigh blew my hair out of my face and fanned it with his sweet breath. I was slightly dizzy when he spoke.

"I think I'm okay with it. I'm sure won't hate me, so…yes."

I grinned, quickly pecking him on the lips.

"Good. Take me to bed, you animal," I said as I jumped up onto him, my legs locking around his back.

"Wow. I should piss you off more often, lovely. I like this treatment."

My smack to his chest and his resulting laughter echoed in the huge room as he walked up the stairs and into his bedroom.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to hissed whispers. I could hear Jasper and some other person, but wasn't coherent enough to understand their words. Blinking, I waited for my brain to kick in. It did when it heard my name.

"We need to wake Sam up _now_, Jasper. He's coming!"

"You just told me it would take him almost a day to get here! Let her sleep, Alice."

I sighed, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

"Too late, I'm already awake. What's going on, Alice?"

"Our human-eating friend found out we're here. I'm not sure how, but it was probably the werewolves since I can't see how he found out where we are. He's going to be here tonight. You need to be partially changed by the time he gets here."

I felt the blood drain from my face. _Now? I thought we'd have the day to…well, there's nothing I can do about it now. This is what I want, and I'm getting it._ I raised my chin a notch, nodding to her.

"Thanks for telling us, Alice."

She smiled at me and danced out of the room. I turned to Jasper and saw the angry, stoic face I'd come to hate yesterday and crawled to him, resting on knees next to him. I was a tiny bit amused that this made me taller than him…but only because he was sitting. My hands framed his face and turned him toward me. His eyes softened at he smiled half-heartedly at me.

"Oh, Jasper. It'll be okay."

My eyes widened in shock as he wrapped his arms around me, holding on to me like he might a life raft. His face was buried in my chest, his ear resting over my heart. I wrapped myself around him, my cheek resting lightly on his head.

"You'll be in excruciating pain for three days and it's all my fault, Samantha. I should have been able to give you time to—"

"Shh…honey, I'll be fine. I've made my decision, so why does it matter when I do this? And I know it'll hurt. We're trying something to help with that, Jazz. I have a feeling it'll work, so I don't think I'll have much pain at all. It isn't your fault that the damn dogs blabbed to my creeper, either."

His sigh tickled my rubs through the thin material of my tank top.

"In my head, I know that, darlin'."

I pulled his face to meet mine then, smiling at him.

"Good. That's all that matters."

Brushing his lips with mine, I disengaged myself from him and made my way to the bathroom, speaking as I went.

"I'm going to grab a quick shower…then we can go find Carlisle and get this started. If you need to go run off some tension, I'll be okay for twenty minutes. Okay," I asked, glancing over my shoulder as I reached the door. He still looked tense, but was starting to get control of himself.

"Sure, lovely. Get that fine behind in the shower," he said, affecting his natural thick Texas drawl. As he'd hoped, I grinned as my heartbeat skipped. When he chuckled lightly, I stuck my tongue out at him and spun on me heel, slamming the door behind me, grinning when I heard his full-blown laughter. _He'll be okay…we both will be soon._

* * *

An hour later, Jasper and I had finished our temporary goodbyes and found our father in the spare bedroom, which I'd never seen. Each of the family was there, somber until I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"It's not a funeral, guys. Lighten up!"

Esme clucked her tongue as Edward and Emmett snorted back laughter and subsequently were smacked in the back of the head by their respective spouses. I grinned back at them when they glared at me. Jasper shook his head and took my elbow, leading me to the bed. I sat on the side and looked up at him, only breaking eye contact when Carlisle spoke.

"You know what's going to happen now, Sam. We're going to give you the pain meds and then start the transformation. By the time I bite you, you shouldn't be able to feel the venom. Are you ready, dear heart?"

I nodded and let him and Jasper help me lay down. My brothers and sisters said their goodbyes and gave me their well wishes and quickly left the room. I rolled my eyes when only our parents and Jasper remained.

"Wow…I know how to chase people away, don't I?"

Carlisle chuckled as he took my right arm in his hands, wiping it down with antiseptic. When I saw the IV needle, I squeezed my eyes shut and grabbed Jasper's hand. I felt the sting and fought to stop the flinch. I opened my eyes again as I felt the cold morphine drip down and into my system. I turned to Esme and smiled.

"You'd better get out while you can, Mom. I tend to get loopy and my potty mouth gets worse when I'm on drugs."

If it had been possible, there would have been tears in her eyes as she leaned down to gently hug me. There were tears in mine as she whispered in my ear.

"We love you, daughter. Thank you for choosing to stay with us."

"I love you all, too, Mom."

She pulled back and smiled at me before leaving the room. My vision blurred a bit as I watched her form walk away and I felt my eyes start to close. I snapped back when I heard Carlisle murmuring next to me.

"Just a few minutes more, dear heart."

"Good…hate…drugs," I slurred, making Jasper laugh. My eyes found his then.

"You can go, too."

My eyes fluttered closed as his lips brushed my forehead.

"I'm sticking, private. I love you."

"Love you, too, Jazz."

I floated then, only half hearing Carlisle and Jasper murmuring to each other over my deathbed. _Hmmm…it is my deathbed…wow. _I chuckled out loud as this thought ran through my drug-addled brain. Jasper's hand squeezed mine gently, bringing my attention to his face.

"What's so funny, lovely?"

I grinned like an idiot and I crooked my finger at him.

"This is my death bed," I whispered as my lips touched his ear.

He pulled back and looked at me, eyebrow raised.

"That's funny how?"

I shrugged, giggling.

"Dunno…but it is."

He rolled his eyes and turned to Carlisle.

"I think she's far enough under now."

Suppressed laughter thickened his tone as he agreed. I fought to pay attention as he spoke.

"Sam, Jasper is going to leave the room for a few minutes, all right?"

I was too loose to do much more than weakly grasp his hand as it slipped from mine. The door closed and he was speaking again.

"I'm going to start now, dear heart. I'll bite your wrists first, then your ankles, and then your neck. Do you understand?"

My hum of response was enough to tell him I did. I watched in fascination as he gently bit down on my left wrist, then my right, followed by my ankles.

"Don't…feel…anything," I said, sounding astonished.

He smiled at me as he cupped the back of my head in his hand and lifted me with the other. His head rested in the crook of my neck for a second, then his face was above me. Silence rested over us like a blanket. After what felt like an hour, he spoke.

"Are you in pain, Sam?"

"Nope…done already?"

He shook his head, his eyes on the door at my back.

"No, not yet, dear heart. I'm going to wipe your wounds, all right? Tell me if anything hurts."

He went to work with the damp washrag without waiting for a response. After the blood was gone, he lit the rag on fire and let it burn. When it was finished, he called Jasper back in. I watched him walk back to the bed, felt him squeeze my hand, and then was out like a light.

* * *

Songs for the chapter: **Time in a Bottle**-Jim Croce & **I Will Follow You Into the Dark**-Death Cab for Cutie

* * *


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

_**Jasper POV**_

Apparently, the morphine did the trick. I felt nothing from her for nearly a day before she woke up screaming for me to put out the fire. Carlisle quickly turned up her IV, but she still thrashed around in the bed restlessly, not coherent enough to respond when we talked to her. Regardless, I held her hand constantly. If I let go for a second, it was like she knew and her pain would become unbearable. Her screams then would echo through the house, so I stopped letting go.

The morning of the third day, not even my touch gave her respite. Her skin was becoming hard and was pushing the needle out and her pain stayed constant even when she had the maximum dose in her tiny body. Her body was nearly finished changing and rejected the drug.

Each of the family came to her for a half hour every day and sat, talking to her. Edward spent the least amount of time in her presence, telling me later that her thoughts were driving him crazy because they were constantly all over. He said it was like flicking television channels each second and never stopping: the thought was there, but not solid, except for when she recognized one of us.

When the sun had set the third day, I feared that she'd have to endure another day of pain. We weren't sure what the morphine early on would do to the process, and one of our worries was that it would add days to her transformation.

Esme had taken over soothing her and I was pacing by the window contemplating that horror when I heard what we'd all been waiting for: Samantha's heartbeat was slowing down. I realized this and ran out of the room in search of Carlisle. Finding him in his office, I ran into the room and came to a screeching halt in front of his desk.

"Dad…heart…slow…now…come!"

My brain was not able to form coherent sentences through my excitement and worry. I heard him following me as I raced back to the spare room. The footfalls of my siblings weren't far behind. They all crowded outside the door as our father came in, closing the door behind him. I heard Emmett cursing and almost smiled…well, I did a little when Esme gave him a tongue lashing for it. Samantha's moan and the wave of pain hit me hard, dragging my attention back to her.

I stood by, watching as his hands moved quickly and silently over her writhing form. His hands touched her skin lightly and she fought him. I quickly stepped in, grabbing her hand and swamping her with all the calm I could muster. She stopped moving long enough for him to finish. He looked into my eyes and I saw more than felt his elation.

"It shouldn't be long. I'd give our Samantha about a half hour. She's a fighter, son," he said, his hand tightly squeezing my shoulder as he took Esme's hand and led her out of the room. I heard both of them barring our siblings from the room.

"Did you hear that, lovely? You're nearly through!"

I brushed my fingers across her cool forehead, which was still covered with her human sweat. _The first thing she's going to want is a shower. She hates being dirty. _Her sudden intake of breath startled me and I nearly jumped when she opened her eyes.

"Jazz? I'm done?"

"Shh, don't talk just yet. Carlisle said just a little while longer. You'll be finished within the hour, darlin'. You aren't in much pain anymore."

Her weak smile confirmed what Carlisle had said and I already knew: my little soldier was stronger than anyone knew. She'd battled all of this for me and won her war. _Thank God!_

"No, not much. How are you?"

I pushed a lock of her silky brown curls behind her ear and smiled, looking into her now burgundy eyes. _That's going to take some getting used to for both of us._

"Don't worry about me, my lovely. I'm proud of you, private."

She found the strength to grin at me.

"Really? Meh…no biggie."

I laughed at her, and would have been crying buckets if I could have.

"Everyone else? I'm sure I drove Eddie crazy…"

I heard him yelling at her through the door.

"DON'T CALL ME EDDIE!"

We caught each other's eye and burst into laughter at the same time. In the middle of this, it was suddenly silent as death in the room. Our laughter abruptly stopped when she started at the feeling of stillness in her chest.

"Holy shit! What the hell is that? Jasper, do you hear that? What the hell happened?"

In her shock, she'd forgotten the final stage of her transformation.

"Calm down, lovely. Look at me…let me be the first to welcome you to the Cullen coven, darlin'."

Her brow was marred with confusion for a second, then realization brightened her breath-taking features. She threw her arms around my neck and knocked me to the floor with her new strength and speed. I rolled us, stopping with her under me. My lips drifted toward hers…and were frozen when the door flew open. Rosalie stood on the other side, a tad annoyed.

"You need to learn to share, brother. Fun can be had later after we've had ours. Welcome to our coven, sister."

Samantha wrenched herself from my arms and ran across the room, nearly bowling Rose over in her enthusiasm.

"Thanks, Rose. I'm glad that's finally over."

I watched her silently as she received similar greetings from the rest of the family. I felt her happiness like a ray of sunshine and couldn't help but be infected by it also. Somewhere in my heart, I knew this was the most content I'd ever been. My lovely was through the worst pain in her life and our family was here, surrounding us. When she caught my eye, just for a second, I felt her heart and mine burst with each other's happiness.

_**My POV**_

As my family filed out of the room, my brain registered the layer of nastiness covering my now rock-hard body. I felt uncomfortable in my new skin and wanted a shower more than anything. Turning to Jasper, though, I ignored the impulse and crossed to him, plunking onto his lap. I brushed a thick lock of his hair out of his eyes and smiled down at him.

"Hi."

He chuckled, snaking his arms around me. I savored the contact with him, needing it more than I'd realized. His slow, even breathing fanned across my face. _He still smells the same. Thank God! _

"Hello, darlin'. Do you feel all right? Are you thirsty?"

I took a minute to evaluate and sensed nothing abnormal.

"Nope, not thirsty. Are you okay? I know this couldn't have been easy for you, Jazz."

"I'm…fine. I'm perfect now that you're up and around."

I didn't know how to tell him this, but I knew I'd have to.

"Um…how did it go?"

He looked at me, startled and confused.

"What? How did what go?"

"My transformation…I don't remember anything from the time you came back in the room to when you told me my change was almost done."

After he stared at me for a whole minute like I had ten heads, I cleared my throat. He blinked and shook his head slightly.

"Take a picture, buckaroo. What's wrong?"

"You don't remember anything about the past two days?"

"No…is that not normal?"

"I'm not sure…Carlisle?"

It was spoken no louder than if he were standing right next to us, but I heard him shut the book he'd been reading and come back to the room. _Wait, I heard that? Sweet._ I grinned like a fool as he opened the door.

"Hi, Dad."

"Hello, Sam. What did you two need?"

Jasper nudged me meaningfully. I rolled my eyes at him and turned back to Carlisle.

"Jasper is freaking out about the fact that I don't remember anything about my transformation. Tell him that there isn't anything to worry about, please?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"That is…unusual…but, you seem fine. Just pay close attention to your behavior and how you're feeling for a while. Are you thirsty?"

I shook my head and watched his brows furrow.

"Hmm…that is unusual. Well, Jasper, keep an eye on her and take her out if you feel her thirst. There isn't really anything else to do."

I felt Jasper sigh behind me and rolled my eyes in response.

"Thanks, Dad."

He murmured his reply as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. We sat in silence for a minute. I could feel the tension rolling off him, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and brushed his lips with mine. There was a small sliver of space between our mouths as I spoke.

"Jazz…I'm right here and I'm okay. Calm down for me…please?"

His breath whooshed out in a sigh and his eyes fluttered closed. I smiled in satisfaction and rested my head on his shoulder. His arms squeezed me tighter.

"Don't be too smug."

I would have smiled at his teasing, but I heard the slight shakiness in his voice.

"It's over now and we're both okay. Now shut up and let me shower, will you?"

He laughed and pushed me off him gently.

"I knew you'd want one. All your stuff is in our bathroom upstairs. Go on ahead; you can find me when you're done, lovely."

"Whatever, cowboy. Go outside and get some fresh air and _you_ find _me_ when _you're_ done. The house is full, Jasper. I can defend myself now, too, so scoot," I said, anticipating his resistance to leaving me "alone" in the house.

He was out the door and slamming out of the house within a matter of a second. I sighed, thinking it was about time for me to learn to do something right. As my thoughts turned to what I would do to apologize to Jasper, I walked toward the door.

My hand was on the knob when my vision suddenly went black. It was odd because I wasn't unconscious. I was fully aware of my surroundings and myself; I heard Edward come running and yelling my name, felt him pull the door out of my grasp and catch me before I fell. Then, all awareness left as my mind played a movie-like scene.

_Jasper is standing in front of me. I feel the frustration coming off him. I feel guilt twist through me and know I caused it. I touch his shoulder, causing him to turn to me. His eyes hold depths of love and worry that take my unnecessary breath away. I lay my hand on his cheek and watch him turn his face into my palm, gently kissing it._

"_I'm sorry Jasper. I love you."_

"_I love you, too, darlin'."_

_My arms slip around his neck as he pulls me close._

Snapping back to reality, I saw Jasper's scared face above mine, paler than I'd ever seen it. When he saw my eyes open, his fingers brushed my cheek and I felt his relief.

"Thank God! What the hell just happened?"

"Um…I think I just had a dream."

"Obviously not, Samantha, we can't sleep."

"No, I did. It was just like my déjà vu dream, Jazz. I saw myself apologizing to you."

He looked skeptical, but asked for more explanation.

"It's exactly like before. They're vivid and it feels like I'm there. I _know_ it would have happened because I was on my way out the door to find you and—"

"Okay, lovely, I believe you. Calm down. We need to talk to Carlisle."

I made a face as I again felt my own filth.

"Um…shower first?"

He sighed and raised his eyes to the ceiling. His hand waved me off and I sprinted for our bathroom before he could change his mind.

* * *

He and I were standing outside Carlisle's office ten minutes later. I was clean and had changed clothes, so I felt like myself. He knocked lightly and we were called in softly. Carlisle was sitting at his desk, a thick volume open in front of him. He smiled genially and gestured to the chairs across from his.

Jasper sat first and pulled me into his lap. I didn't fight because I needed the contact with him. I listened with fear coursing through me, despite the waves of calm Jasper sent into me, as he told our father about my dreams as a human and the one I'd had today. My name on Carlisle's lips brought me back to reality.

"Sam, is this the first time this has happened since your change?"

"Yes. It was sort of different, though."

"Different how?"

"It wasn't like being asleep at all before this "dream" thing. I could still feel and hear everything. I just couldn't respond to anything. I saw black for, like, ten seconds, then everything went away and the "dream" started playing. That part was totally normal. The next thing I knew, I was flat on my back staring at Jasper."

"Hmm…it sounds a bit like Alice's visions at the start. But, the blackout during the vision is unique to you. Samantha, dear heart, I think we've found your power."

I sat there speechless. He looked so pleased…they both did. I hadn't expected to have a power. I knew my dreams made me kind of freakish and I hadn't expected to carry them with me into this life. Now that I realized that I had brought them with me, I wasn't sure what to do with them. All I could really do was sit back and let them happen when I'd been human, and they were so rare that they rarely helped me at all. I felt Jasper's hand squeeze my arm and was brought out of my musings.

"Samantha? Darlin', are you all right? You're bouncing all over the place."

"I guess. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my power. My dreams were not frequent and I couldn't change what happened in them…maybe that'll change now, too."

"Time will tell, Sam. It will be interesting to see what you can do with your talent."

I made a non-committal remark as Jasper pushed me off his lap and led me out the door. Alice was out in the hallway, jumping up and down. _Oh…she's happy about sharing her power. I'm glad she isn't mad at me for it._ I let her hug me as I heard Jasper sighing behind me.

"Sam, this is great! I can finally talk to someone about what I see and they've seen it, too."

"I'm not sure how this is going to work, Al. It might disappear or something…"

"Nope, it won't. Powers get stronger with time. We have to go shopping to celebrate!"

Since her money was mine now, too, I felt myself get excited about the trip…until I remembered the 'no contact with humans when you're a newborn' thing.

"I'd love to sweetie, but…I can't. I _really_ don't want to attack somebody."

"Oh…you don't know yet?"

I looked at Jasper for a clue; he was no help. His confusion was just as obvious.

"Know what, Al?"

"You're totally immune to human blood."

* * *

Song for the chapter: **You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)**-Josh Groban

_**Oh, damn! Another cliffie...sort of. Sorry. Told you guys there'd be some major plot twists! So...tell me how you liked it or how that last sentence had you screaming and cursing at your monitor because I am mean and left you on two cliffies for two days in a row. Review and get snippets of chapters 21 and 22. Thanks for reading! Samantha**_

* * *


	21. Chapter 21

**_Morning, all! Here are the chapters of the day:) Thanks to AN Zoriah, .twilight.is.here., tayalysse3, and '-'IncubusHelen'-' for the reviews! See you at the end of chapter 22!  
_**

**Chapter 21**

I stared at her for a minute, sure she was lying. I knew it was impossible that I was actually resistant to human blood. Being a vampire meant that it was my "natural" food source. Then, it started to make a bit of sense. I hadn't even been thirsty yet and I'd been a newborn for five hours. Newborns were supposed to be insatiable their first months of life. This, coupled with the fact that I'd hated the sight and smell of blood when I'd been human, convinced me.

"Holy fricking crap, Batman! This is so COOL!"

I grabbed Alice in a hug, dancing around like a kid who ate a shit ton of cake. We giggled together for a minute, then I spotted Jasper, standing there stoically. I bounced away from Alice, throwing myself at him. My legs locked around his waist and I laid a huge, smacking wet kiss on his lips.

"Jazzy! Isn't this great?! I won't kill anybody!"

I felt shock as he reached around and unlocked my legs, setting me on my feet and staring at me with an unreadable expression. _No! My Jasper! Come back…_ My body froze as he backed away.

"That is just _fucking_ great. Congratulations, Samantha."

I watched him sprint down the hall and heard the door slam as he ran out of the house. My lungs finally regained the ability to move and I took in one gasping breath. Alice touched my arm and my wild eyes spun to her.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't see him reacting like this."

My brain recovered enough to shake my head in denial and tell her it wasn't her fault before I stumbled my way to our bedroom. Not able to bare the settee or the bed, I collapsed onto the floor as soon as I'd shut the door behind me. The way Jasper had looked at me…had talked to me…it was like he hated me. My foggy mind tried to think of a reason for it, but found nothing that made sense.

A knock on the door had me jumping up, ready to defend myself. It opened, revealing Edward. I instantly came out of my stance and once again fell to the floor on my behind. He stared down at me for a second, then crossed the short distance and joined me on the floor. We sat in silence for what seemed like hours. His voice made me jump…again.

"Sam…how much has Jasper told you about his past?"

I looked at him, confused.

"He told me where he lived when he was human, where and how he was turned, and when he found our family…"

"Hmm…all right. That's why his behavior is so confusing for you. Let me explain what happened before you give up on my idiot brother entirely?"

I nodded and he started his story. He told me that the vampire who'd turned him had been power hungry as well as having an insatiable thirst for human blood. Jasper, not knowing any differently, had followed her and lived a life of bloodshed for many years. After a brief explanation of how he'd found our family, he also told me about Jasper's struggle to maintain our diet.

"So…he's still reluctant, then?"

He shook his head and draped an arm around my shoulders.

"No, he just has the most problem with abstaining. When he's thirsty, rational thought is difficult and he can't understand why he has to settle for tofu and vegetable juice instead of having a nice juicy cheeseburger."

"Oh, God…he lives with it daily and I won't have to worry about that at all! No wonder he hates me…I'd hate me, too."

I buried my head in my hands in despair.

"He doesn't hate you, Sam. I know he still loves you. It's just going to take some time for him to accept this whole thing."

"Why does everything have to be so hard for us, Edward?"

He looked into my eyes sadly.

"I don't know, little one."

I buried my face in his shoulder and sobbed.

* * *

Emmett had dragged me into the family "game room" to distract me while I waited for Jasper. After losing three times in pool, four in foosball, and once in Guitar Hero II, he gave up and left in a huff. I nearly smiled as I watched his fast retreating backside.

Sighing, I turned to the bookshelf and attempted to find something to read. Ten minutes later I settled for Bram Stoker's _Dracula_. Amused slightly that a family of vampires owned a copy, I flopped down into the overstuffed chair in the corner and read. Jonathan had just gotten to the Count's castle when I lost my focus. My eyes closed and my head lolled onto the back of the chair.

Letting myself float, I thought about what had happened to me today. Finding out I had what amounted to super powers was a hefty shock and so had my immunity. I nearly laughed out loud when I realized I was a freak among freaks. _Well, at least that hasn't changed. Once a freak…_ I trailed off at Edward's yell.

"Stop that right now, Sam! Don't make me sick Emmett on you."

I scoffed. _I just kicked Em's ass, Eddie. You'll have to take me yourself. _

"That won't be a problem…and stop calling me Eddie, damn you!"

I smiled. _Bring it on, piano man. _His laughter echoed through the house.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

I opened my eyes to see Rosalie standing in the doorway, looking hesitant. I sat up and nodded, gesturing to the chair facing mine. When she'd seated herself, I spoke.

"What can I do for you, Rose?"

"I thought you might like someone to talk to since my boneheaded husband abandoned you after his temper tantrum."

I laughed slightly.

"He is a sore loser, isn't he. Um…would you like to watch a movie or…"

"A movie sounds like fun."

"Okay, then. You can pick one…I'm going to go ask Alice and Esme if they'd like to join us, if that's all right."

"Of course…but you can save yourself the trip," she said, pointing over my shoulder. I turned and saw Alice dragging our mother into the room.

"Thanks, Sam. This'll be fun!"

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes and stood, moving to the sofa facing the television. Esme sat on my right, Rosalie on my left, and Alice sat at our feet on an oversized pillow. Feeling sort of content, I watched the opening scene start and felt a sharp jab of pain as I realized what movie Rose had chosen. His words when we watched it together ran through my head: _there is a shortage of perfect breasts…rhymed for an entire hour_. I felt myself freeze. Esme's hand grabbed mine and squeezed, bringing my attention to her.

"Are you all right, dear?"

I smiled pathetically, squeezing her hand in return.

"I will be. Thank you all for keeping me company."

They all scoffed my thanks, making it clear they wanted to be here with me. I took a deep breath and turned off my brain, staring at the screen without registering what was on it. I was determined to keep myself from making my family miserable along with me. Thankfully, it worked. _The Princess Bride_ finished and I nudged Alice and told her to choose the next movie.

Her choice had me laughing despite myself. I watched the beginning of _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ and stared at my sister incredulously. This was one of my favorite comedies and I was surprised that the Cullens had seen it, much less own it. I said as much out loud and Alice grinned at me.

"You never know about people's tastes, Sam. I'm glad you like it."

After that, we all fell silent and watched the movie. Laughing my way through the commoner's speech about governmental oppression and Galahad's exploits in the Castle Anthrax kept me from dwelling on the fact that it was now five hours later and Jasper still hadn't come home.

All the guys joined us when we started watching _Gone With the Wind_. I was again surprised that they owned a copy, but only because I figured Jasper would have already thrown it out…multiple times, knowing the tenacious Alice.

I focused on the movie until the barbeque at the Wilkes' plantation, then I looked around and saw my family, all cozy with each other. Carlisle and Esme were next to me, she on his lap. Rosalie and Emmett had dragged a chair over from the book nook and were in the same position in it. Alice and Edward were lying on the floor in front of me, her head on his chest.

A sudden and nearly unbearable need for the same kind of contact with Jasper bolted through me. I noticed Edward look up at me, clearly hearing my thoughts. I started singing _Picture to Burn_ in my head and slowly rose, addressing the family as a whole.

"I'm going to sit on the porch for a while. I need some air."

I was out the door before any of them could comment. Running out the front door, I came to an abrupt stop in front of the porch swing. Deciding that being rocked might soothe me, I sat down and started pumping, since my legs weren't long enough to touch the ground.

Still singing a random shuffle of songs in my head, I let myself become boneless, my head resting on the back of the swing. My eyes fluttered closed as I listened to the birds settling into their nests for the night. After a while, my senses sort of dulled and I heard nothing but the soft creaking of the swing and felt nothing but the cool breeze blowing over me.

I let myself float like this, preferring the numbness to the ache of my heart and soul, until I felt the swing stop. My senses came back and I felt someone standing over me. Thinking it was probably Esme, I spoke without opening my eyes.

"I'm okay, Mom."

The deep, velvety familiarity of the voice that responded had me reeling.

"It's not nice to lie to your mother like that."

My eyes snapped open and I felt my heart swell and break in the same second when I saw Jasper standing over me. I quickly sat up, scooting to the other end of the swing. I wanted to throw myself at him and never let him go again, so I wrapped my arms around my torso and let my fingers dig into my ribs. I stared straight ahead, knowing my heart couldn't take looking at him while he told me to kiss off. I decided to break the silence that was covering us.

"I've never lied to my mother and never will, thank you very much."

He sighed, sitting down in the space I'd just vacated.

"You would have, if that had actually been Esme. You're lying now, too."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm an empath, Samantha."

_Like I'd forgotten._ I sat in silence, still not looking at him. After a long minute, he rose, pacing and running his hand through his hair. _What's he pissed about?_

"Say something, damn you! Throw something at me, scream at me, call me names, just do SOMETHING!"

I looked at him then and saw the anguish in his eyes. I quickly looked away and spoke softly.

"What do you want me to do? It's my fault, not yours. Why should I blame you? That's what you want."

"Your fault? YOUR FAULT? Ugh!"

His outburst had me gazing at him again. I watched as he nearly pulled out his hair.

"Stop…please."

Nothing even close to satisfaction went through me as I heard his whooshing tell. Closing my eyes in relief, I missed his blindingly fast movement toward me. I blinked slowly, like I was just waking up, as his hands held my face.

"How can you blame yourself for this?"

"Because _I'm_ the one with the stupid immunity."

He sighed and his eyes closed tightly as his hands slipped from my face. My skin cried out from the loss of contact. I lost my breath as his eyes opened, zeroing in on mine. They were intense, love and regret and frustration pouring out

"You are _not_ to blame. It is entirely my fault for not being able to deal with this."

I shook my head, this time framing his face with my hands.

"I understand. I would be completely pissed at me, too, if I had to struggle constantly like that and then realize that the person closest to me wouldn't."

His eyes darkened with anger and he pulled back.

"Who the hell told you that?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I didn't want you to feel sorry for me, and now you do. So, I'm going to strangle the person with my bare hands."

"Absolutely not! I _don't_ feel sorry for you, Jasper. It only helped me figure out what was going on."

"And understanding makes it better?"

"Yes, it does. Can I ask you something?"

He nodded wearily.

"I want you to tell me the truth, please. Are you okay with what I am now?"

"Of course. You not having to suffer means everything to me."

"Okay, then," I said seconds before I pounced on him, melding our bodies and lips together.

My eyes drifted closed in satisfaction and a contented sigh slipped out. I felt his hands pull me closer, then slide slowly down and grip my butt. I moaned and pushed myself into him, my hands burying themselves in his hair as I straddled him.

Both of us froze a second later when we heard a chorus of cat calling and whistles. I looked back to see our brothers standing in the doorway. Annoyed beyond belief, I hissed at them. Thankfully, they got the hint and went back into the house. I looked down at Jasper, who had a goofy grin on his face. I was sure I had a matching one and leaned down to brush my lips against his. In an impossibly fast movement, he flipped us. He broke the kiss and stared down at me, brushing a curl off my cheek.

"I love you, Samantha. Forgive me…again?"

"I love you, too. There isn't anything to forgive, Jazz. There will be if you don't shut up and kiss me right now."

He grinned and complied. I barely noticed when he ran us both inside and up the stairs, finally laying me on our bed. He broke the kiss and moved back about an inch. My torso followed him without my brain realizing what I was doing. His hand gently pushed me back down into the pillows. I felt my breathing hitch as he stared down at me with smoldering eyes.

His desire and love hit me full force then and I grinned through the fog in my head as his lips met mine and his clever hands started pulling clothing off. _It's going to be a long night_, I thought as my hands pulled at his shirt.

* * *

Songs for the chapter: **Alone**-Heart &** Under the Influence**-James Morrison

* * *


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Starting that night, Alice drove me crazy with wedding plans and shopping and took up nearly every available hour of daylight she could. I tried to get Jasper to come with us, but Alice nixed the idea as soon as it was out of my mouth. I felt badly that he wasn't really involved. But, he promised me that it didn't matter to him as long as it was me walking down the aisle toward him and he heard those two words out of my mouth. Knowing that this would be the least of my problems on our wedding day, I assured him I would be his wife.

The first thing I had insisted on doing was finding my dress. I had been fantasizing about it since I was a little girl and wanted to make sure this part of my wedding was taken care of before Alice went crazy with plans. Of course, I took my sisters along to help me decide which gown to get, but I knew what I wanted before I even left that day: something classic with a modern twist.

I was always old-fashioned in my beliefs and actions and such, and Jasper was obviously about as old as someone could get (which I teased him about mercilessly), so I needed something that suited this side of us. The modern twist was also a requirement because of who we were together, since I was totally modern despite that and he only was because he lived in the now.

Alice decided at the last minute to drag Edward along to haul our purchases around. I rolled my eyes but was secretly pleased because that meant two things: I'd have someone sane to talk to and get an honest man's opinion from _and_ we'd get to take the Volvo instead of Alice's Porsche. It wasn't that I didn't want to ride in that car specifically; I wanted to avoid Alice's driving.

The morning we went to Seattle, it was hard to leave. Jasper and I hadn't left each other's side for more than an hour since the night my transformation ended. We would be gone for at least ten hours, even with Edward driving like a maniac, and I knew we'd miss each other terribly.

So, standing on the porch with our brother and sisters honking the damn car horn and yelling at me to move my behind, we said goodbye. His arms were wrapped around me, holding my body to his like a life vest. My arms were wrapped around him just as tightly. I felt his lips touching every part of me they could find; my lips, eyes, hair, neck, shoulders…he was making it hard for me to leave.

"Jazz…I have to go, honey…stop…mmm, that's nice…"

His chuckle against my ear had goose bumps trailing up and down my arms.

"Does that mean you'll stay?"

"No…sorry, honey. I…ha-ah-ahh-ve to g-oh-o."

I quickly pecked his lips and pushed him away before he destroyed the rest of my will power.

"Love you, Jazz. See you tonight."

I heard him mumbling to me as I bolted off the porch and made a mad dash for the car. Sliding into the backseat, I met the disapproving stairs of my siblings. Sighing and rolling my eyes, I buckled my seat belt and rolled my eyes.

"What? It's not like you're not all Perverts-R-Us at least once a day. Let me have my fun, too, you jerks."

They all looked away as Edward pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. _Prudes_.

* * *

When we got to the city, Alice told Edward to drive straight to the bridal shop. I wanted to get this part of the planning done before she started in on me and she knew it. I was the first one out of the car when he'd pulled to a stop and stood on the curb, waiting impatiently for my siblings to get out. They finally did and I preceded them all into the store, immediately going to my task.

I spent about an hour going through the selection of dresses in the shop, finally deciding on four. Alice and Rosalie also each chose two to try and, surprisingly, Edward even chose one. They helped me haul them to the dressing rooms and left me to try them on.

The first dress I mentally discarded when I tried it on. I loved the dress, but it wasn't enough of a mix of old and new. It was pure white with halter straps. The square neckline rested just above my cleavage and complimented my neck. The skirt was ankle-length tulle covered in satin with a gauzy see-through outer layer. The bodice was embroidered with lovely designs. Like I said, I loved the dress but it didn't fit me or Jazz. I marched out into the lounge, barefoot and a little ticked.

"Please tell me you hate this dress as much as I do!"

Three heads nodded at me and I let out a breath.

"Okay…I love the dress, but it's not—"

"It doesn't fit you or Jasper."

I stuck my tongue out at Edward, peeved at him for blabbing. I picked up the skirt and turned back toward the dressing room, talking as I walked.

"Not this one…be back in five."

I tried on five more dresses and had the same opinion of these. I was starting to get frustrated when I heard my cell phone ringing. Since I knew it was a private changing room/lounge, I bolted out and ran for my purse. This wouldn't have been a huge deal if I hadn't been half naked. Edward protested loudly at my being in a bra and panties and I glared at him to shut him up as I answered my phone, breathless.

"Hello?"

"What's wrong, darlin'?"

I smiled, plopping down next to Edward on the couch. He made gagging noises and I rolled my eyes. I watched Rosalie and Alice bustling the rejects to a pile we'd started by the door. Elbowing Edward, I spoke to Jasper.

"Nothing's wrong, Jazz."

"Don't lie to me. I can hear it in your voice. What's got you so frustrated, lovely?"

I melted and saw Edward throw up his hands out of the corner of my eye and turned to him and stuck my tongue out.

"Well, your brother is being a jerk, for one."

He laughed and I heard him shutting a door.

"What's he doing?"

"He's being a prude…I was changing when I heard your ring and I bolted out here in just my underwear. It's like he hasn't seen his sisters and everyone else in the house for that matter with—"

"You're naked where?!"

"Not naked, Jasper. Geez, what is it with you? It's a private room anyway."

"Oh…okay. What else is bothering you, Samantha?"

I sighed, blowing a curl out of my face.

"Nothing I'm trying on is what I want."

He chuckled and I felt my blood boil.

"Don't get mad, darlin'. I know you'll find what you want. Just be patient."

"Yeah, right. I'll try. I love you."

"Love you, too. Go get some clothes on. Please?"

Laughing, I hung up on him. After stuffing the phone in my purse, I looked up to see my sisters forcing Edward into a totally hideously colored tux shirt. I snickered and told them I was going to try on the next dress as I heard him growling and snarling at me under his breath.

My next dress sort of fit my criteria. It was floor-length cream satin covered with a gauzy see-through outer shell. The neckline swooped down over my shoulders from behind and dipped to my collarbone. The trim around the skirt was scalloped and dragged on the floor slightly, serving as a small train. It reminded me of something a Grecian goddess might wear. I opened the door and showed it to my siblings, twirling in a circle.

"I don't know what I think about this one. It's got the mix I'm looking for, but I'm not sure it fits. What do you think?"

"It suits you…maybe pile," Rose said.

"If you like it, then go for it," from Alice.

"You look stunning, sis," Edward said, grinning.

"Okay…definitely maybe."

I rushed back into the room, quickly stripping and hoisting the dress over the door to Edward's waiting hands. I swore viciously at him when he laughed at the fact I had to jump to make it over. Quickly ignoring my ape of a brother, I pulled on the last dress and nearly fell on the floor. It was perfect.

It reminded me so much of the saloon girl dresses of the 1800's. The creamy silk floor-length gown fit us to a 't'. The bodice was fitted and slightly embroidered with a simple design, which was carried out on the skirt and chapel-length train as well. The straps were unadorned and rested just off my shoulders. I giggled aloud at the bustled material in the back and the fluffy tulle under the skirt that made it look sort of like a hoop skirt. I knew Jasper would get a kick out of it and I adored it. Squealing with excitement, I burst through the doors and into the sitting area.

**(Here is the link to a pic of the dress. Imagine it without the fugly gloves and with curly hair and a white feather on the right side. img./photo/10982473/WeddingDresses.jpg)**

"This is IT! Do you love it or what," I said, spinning around to show the whole dress. They were quiet and I turned to them, sad that it looked so hideous that it left them speechless.

"No, you don't look hideous, you silly girl. Did you look at yourself?"

"Edward is right; this is _the_ dress," Rosalie said.

I got no comment from Alice, since she was bouncing around the room. I meaningfully glared at her husband and he snagged her wrist as she danced past him, pulling her on to his lap. Smiling gratefully, I waited for her opinion. After a nudge from Edward, she spoke.

"I knew you'd find it! Isn't my husband a genius?"

I looked at him, startled.

"This is the one you picked? How did you know?"

"I thought of you and I thought of my brother and this dress looked like both of you."

It was my turn to bounce as I skipped across the room, putting a chokehold on his neck.

"Thank you, Edward. I love it!"

I kissed his cheek and bounced back into the changing room, not even thinking about the other dresses I still had to try on. I quickly dressed and brought my dress out with me, leaving the rejects to my sisters.

* * *

After I chose my dress, everything except the smallest detail was pretty much Alice's domain. I told her that I wanted a small wedding, only our family and possibly the other vegetarian coven that lived near us. I also chose the color scheme and the flowers for the bouquets and boutonnières

Other than that, she planned the ceremony and the "reception", which seemed pointless to me because we couldn't eat or drink, but she insisted a party to celebrate was necessary. Regardless of the noises I made about her being an annoyance and going over the top with her planning, she did a great job.

Before I knew it, the wedding was a week away. Jasper and I were both insanely nervous. So, to…alleviate our tension, we would spend time together in the middle of the afternoon for a couple of hours. Sometimes we would just stay in and do something, but most of the time we met at a spot in the woods, determined by him. The notes he would leave me telling me where to go were sweet and always warmed me.

Two days before the wedding, he left me a note telling me to meet him. Knowing that because of Alice's strict no-seeing-the-groom/bride-for-a-day-before-the-wedding-day policy, this would be our last time together. I came to the spot excited for our time together, but was disappointed when I realized that he wasn't there yet.

I found a fallen tree close to our meeting spot where he was sure to see me when he arrived. Forcing myself to relax, I settled on the stump and leaned against the tree it had fallen by. I closed my eyes and thought of Jasper. I heard him coming five minutes later and jumped up to greet him.

"Jazz, I missed--who the hell are you?"

I watched a tall man come out from behind a fern. The look on his face was pretty creepy and I fought back a shiver. His dirty black hair almost blew in the light breeze. Dirt was smudged all over his torn clothing. The boots on his feet were partly worn. That's when I noticed his eyes: they were bright red. I gasped, trying to back away. My knees hit the stump and had me falling on my butt.

"Don't be like that, honey cakes. You know I can't hurt you anymore."

His eyes raked over me as I stayed frozen on the tree.

"Too bad. You would have been a tasty little morsel."

My body reacted as I realized who this "man" was. This was the tracker who'd chased us out of Forks. Anger coursed through me.

"You! Get the hell away from me!"

His greasy laugh sent another wave of chills down my spine. I fought to keep eye contact and stay where I was. If I ran now, it would be a game for him again and he wouldn't give up until I was dead. Raising my chin a notch, I tried to stare him down.

"If you touch me, my family will kill you. If I were you, I would run now before find me."

"You're bluffing. No one is out here, pet. No one can help you."

_Wrong! Jasper is coming! Scream for him!_

I did scream for him as I saw the other vampire take a step toward me.

"Jasper! Help me, please!"

He crossed the distance between us and clapped a hand over my mouth before I could say anymore.

"Shut up, you little bitch. You got away from me once, you won't escape again."

I bit down on his hand and watched in satisfaction as he jumped back and cradled his hand. I could see the venom leaking out of the chunk I'd ripped away. I spit his skin out at my feet, stomping on it.

"Don't touch me, you bastard. You lay a hand on me again and—"

"And you'll have that hand ripped off, along with your head."

My eyes found him on the edge of the clearing, looking like a vampire to me for the first time since he'd mowed me down in the airport. I spotted Emmett, Carlisle, and Edward behind him, as well. Relief coursed through me as Jasper met my gaze, watching him soften before turning to glare coldly at the other vampire. Carlisle stepped forward and spoke slowly.

"We have no quarrel with you, sir. If you would move out of the area, we would have no cause to do you harm. However, if you choose to stay and continue to harass my daughter, we will be forced to take action. Is this clear?"

The vampire stared each of us down, leaving me until last. He looked at me with such regret and desire that I could've sworn I felt my undead heart thumping in my chest. After an intense second, he turned away.

"I am outnumbered and, it seems, outwitted. I will go peacefully, but know you haven't seen the last of me."

He was gone in a flash, and in the same instant, Jasper was across the clearing squeezing me to death. I gripped him just as hard, dry sobbing with my face buried in his strong chest. His arms soothed me as he murmured.

"Thank God we found you in time. You're safe now, little soldier. We won this battle."

"Jasper, I thought he was going to kill me! He was the tracker from Forks."

He pulled back then, staring down at me.

"What did you say?"

"He's the tracker, Jazz. He said that he was sorry that he missed me because I would have been a tasty morsel and that no one could help me—"

I broke off into sobs again, scared that this psycho could have ruined my life and Jasper's. His parting line made me think that he would, sooner or later. Edward's voice caught my attention.

"No, Sam. He won't hurt anyone in this family. Even if the cretin returns, we will take care of him. Mark my word, sister, no harm will come to you or any of us."

"If he tries to come near us again, we'll rip his fucking head off his fucking body."

This time it was Carlisle who scolded Emmett for his language, though it was only half-heartedly. He gazed at me and concern shadowed his features.

"Are you all right, dear heart?"

"Yes. He didn't hurt me. You guys stopped him before he got the chance."

He nodded then, turning toward the house. Emmett gave me a brilliant smile as he followed and both disappeared into the forest. Sighing, I clung to Jasper again, inhaling his yummy scent. I swear I will never get used to his scent. His arms lifted me, carrying me like a baby back to the stump. _Funny…I don't even remember standing up or running away from it._ He sat, cradling me in his lap with his face buried in my hair.

"I could've lost you today, darlin'."

"I thought you were going to. Thank you for saving me."

His rueful laugh almost made me flinch.

"We _barely_ saved you, Samantha. What were you thinking, coming out here all by yourself."

"But…you…your note! You told me to meet you here."

"No, I did not! I tucked the note that told you to meet me in our room in the place of your bookmark this morning."

My body went cold with shock. I could hardly speak.

"I found the note on our bed. It told me to meet you here."

He swore viciously, gathering me up and bolting toward the house. When we got there, he ran straight up to our room, setting me on my feet just outside the door. His hands squeezed my shoulders and he glared down at me meaningfully.

"Stay here. Do you understand me, private?"

Annoyed that I had to take orders, I rolled my eyes and huffed, plopping down on the floor. He slipped in the door silently and came back out five minutes later just as quietly. His face was angry and I saw his hands clenching at his sides. I stood, taking his hands in mine to stop him and to force him to look at me.

"Jasper…honey, what?"

"He was here. He was in our house, damn it! How did every single one of us miss it?"

I slid my hands up and down his arms, standing on tiptoe to brush his lips with mine.

"Honey, you need to calm down. We have to think this through. Look at me…good. I love you, Jazz. Calm down…please?"

His tell sounded and I closed my eyes in relief as he took deep breaths and leaned his forehead down to touch mine. His breathing fanned out over my cheeks, immediately calming me, too. My eyes opened to see his staring down at me.

"Okay…thank you, lovely. We need to call a family meeting. Now."

* * *

Songs for the chapter: **Can't Find the Words**-Karina & **Knights of Cydonia**-Muse

_**Yikes! Creepy vampire strikes again! What'd you think? Do you like the dress? I saw it and LOVED it! So...review and you get a preview of the last two chapters of Exile. I know, sad...but I'm already four chapters into the sequel and plan on posting it after I finish reading BD. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! Samantha**_

* * *


	23. Chapter 23

_**Okay...here are the last two chapters of Exile. I hope you enjoyed the story. Thanks to my fabulous reviewers: edwardrocksmysocks, AN Zoriah, '-'IncubusHelen'-', and .twilight.is.here for their comments on Ch. 21 and 22. See you at the end of the epilogue! Samantha**_

**Chapter 23**

I looked into the faces of my new family as the meeting was called to order. Carlisle sat at the head of the table, overseeing all. Esme was at the opposite end, serving as a peacekeeper. The rest of us were sandwiched in between them. Jasper sat beside me, rubbing soothing circles in my palm as he felt my fear.

"All right, Jasper. I assume this meeting has something to do with our visitor?"

He nodded, giving my hand a quick squeeze and standing.

"You know that Samantha and I have been spending time together in the afternoon each day. I leave her a note telling her where we'll be meeting for the day."

Emmett huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"We already know that, lover boy! Get to the part where I get to kick some ass."

I grinned at him while Rosalie rolled her eyes and Esme told him off for swearing.

"Shut up, Emmett. I'm getting to it. She got a note today that told her to go to the spot where we found her with…him. I did not write that note. He was here, in this house, and planted it where she'd find it."

Carlisle looked stunned and Emmett looked incredulous. The rest of the family had a mix of both on their faces. I might have thought that it was funny if I hadn't had a psycho stalker vampire. Each of them sat in silence for a minute after Jasper's revelation. Edward broke the silence.

"You're telling us that someone broke into this house, put this note where Sam would find it, and got back out before any of us sensed him? Jasper, please, I would have heard his thoughts a mile away if he'd been close to this house. You would have felt him. Alice or Sam would have seen something about him before he even got close."

Jasper sighed, running his hand through his hair. Knowing he'd lose it if I didn't take over, I stood beside him, looking at my brother.

"I know it sounds crazy, Edward, but I was in the room, too. I smelled _nothing_, saw _nothing_ weird. He left _nothing_ behind. The creep is like a fricking ghost or something."

Having regained a bit of control, Jasper smiled at me gratefully before turning back to our family.

"We think this might be his power. In addition to being a tracker, he has some sort of ability to mask his presence until he _wants_ to be noticed. We know that no one in this house put that note where Samantha found it, so it could only have been him."

"He also has a way to stop our powers from working. Edward was right when he said none of us saw him coming and we should have."

Alice perked up at my comment, looking at me intently.

"Why did I have visions of him before, then?"

I looked at Jasper, silently telling him to explain the part of out theory that he'd come up with.

"When he started tracking Samantha, she wasn't involved with any of us. I know she'd had contact with me at the airport, but he didn't think she would want more contact than that, since humans shy away from us. And he probably didn't know that much about us."

"He was really pissed that you guys got me away before he could have me as a snack. It busted his balls, so he found out anything he could about you…from the werewolves."

Esme scolded me about my language as I watched Carlisle consider what we'd told him.

"That does seem plausible. Alice wouldn't have seen him talking to the werewolves because of their immunity to her power. Then, he knew which powers to hide from and planned to come here after what he'd lost. After that, it was cake. The question is: why hasn't he attacked before now?"

Everyone started talking at once then. I sighed, watching exactly what I'd been afraid would happen: my family fighting over something I caused. My legs finally gave out and I plunked back into the chair, staring at the tabletop as I listened to the arguing with half an ear.

"EVERYONE STOP!"

Embarrassingly I jumped, my mouth involuntarily letting out a squeak. I nearly jumped again as I felt Jasper's hand on my shoulder. His touch and the wave of calm he sent into the room helped me focus. I smiled up at him gratefully and stood again.

"Look…there's no reason to be fighting about this. He's gone and probably won't come back for a while. Now that we know he's coming, we'll all be more careful. We can't do anything else. Please, stop fighting."

I took their silence as a promise that they would.

"Okay, that's it. We just wanted to make sure everyone knows what's going on."

Each of the family filed out of the room, all giving their own form of comfort and reassurance. When I was left alone with Jasper, I wrapped myself around him and buried my face in his chest. His arms automatically came around me, his hands soothingly rubbing my back.

"I'm sorry for all this, Jasper."

"It's not your fault, darlin'. Besides, we have it under control."

"Not really. We have no idea where this freak will come at us, or how or when…"

"But we're ready for him. Come on, lovely."

He dragged me from the room, heading quickly up the stairs.

"What are you doing, Jazz?"

He grinned at me over his shoulder.

"We didn't get our time this afternoon."

I felt the smirk spread across my face as I thought of what he had planned for me as he pulled me into the bedroom, lifting me and kicking the door closed behind him as he carried me in.

* * *

"Alice, I think I'm gonna throw up!"

She sighed and rolled her eyes, pushing down on my shoulder to get my butt to stay in contact with the chair I was supposed to be sitting in.

"Sam, vampires do not throw up. Shut up and keep that fabulous ass in your chair."

I watched Edward's face pucker in distaste in the mirror and grinned. This was the most amusement I'd had all day. _What's the matter, Eddie? You know you like to talk about my ass._

He glared at me in disgust and walked to the door, shooting his parting comment over his shoulder and slamming the door.

"Never in a million years, sister. I need some testosterone."

_It's your fault you stayed as long as you did…but thanks for telling me how he's doing._

His ghostly chuckle followed him down the hall and into the groom's chamber, which held my fiancé and his groomsmen (AKA Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle.).

I glanced into the mirror to bring my mind away from my soon-to-be husband. I watched Alice and Rosalie attacking the pile of fluff that rested on my head. My hair was being molded into thick curls that ran down my back after having been straightened earlier. The right side of it was tucked neatly up into a clip that had a ginormous cream feather glued to it. I smirked to myself again as I remembered the stroke of genius that had come up with it.

_I stared at my dress, trying to decide what I wanted to do about the veil. There was nothing that matched the dress anywhere and I was pissed. Thinking again of how actual saloon girls would have looked to Jazz, I let my mind wander. Suddenly, I felt myself shift into a "dream." A clear picture of me with my hair curled in ginormous curls and a feather holding half of it out of my face filled my head for a solid five seconds, then faded to reality. I grinned and jumped up, needing to find Al and Rose. _

After our trial run, I knew it would be perfect. Seeing again now confirmed it. My scattered brain caught on to the thread of Esme's voice behind us. I'd asked her to read something out loud while we were getting ready so I wouldn't go completely crazy.

She'd chosen to read _Romeo and Juliet_, knowing it was my favorite Shakespeare play. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the beautiful language spilling from her lips…which lasted about five seconds. Rosalie's screeching snapped my attention to the door.

"Emmett, you're crazy! He is not getting in here! It's bad luck!"

His voice was muffled as he begged his wife for…whatever he was begging for.

"Come on, Rosie. He won't lay one eye on her. Eddie and I will make sue he's a good boy."

I clapped my hands over my ears as Alice started yelling at him, too. Unfortunately, I could still hear them bickering.

"It's tradition, you buffoon. Tell him no and make sure he gets ready."

"I already told you he wouldn't lay an eye on her and he's already finished dressing, you evil pixie. Come on!"

"What the hell are you all talking about?"

Rosalie turned toward me guiltily.

"Um…Emmett says…he…oh, hell! Jasper wants to talk to you."

I bolted out of the chair and came to a screeching halt in front of her.

"What's wrong? Is he okay?"

Emmett answered me; appealing to the one person he knew would give in.

"He's fine. Mighty Mouse. He just wants to talk to you. He promises to stay behind the door and—"

"Get out of the way, Em. Let him talk."

Esme kindly put a hand on my shoulder, whispering in my ear.

"We'll give you a minute alone. Girls," she said, gently pushing me out of the way and opening the door.

"But I'm not done with her yet!"

"Mary Alice Brandon Hale Cullen, your sister looks beautiful. Now move!"

No one resisted Esme's mom tone, so they filed out behind her. They left the door open a crack and I saw a pale hand slip through. I dove at it, grasping it tightly.

"Samantha…are you okay?"

I smiled and squeezed Jasper's hand harder.

"I'm fine. I'm just scared that I'll fall on my face when I walk down the aisle."

He chuckled, his fingers rubbing soothing circles in my palm. As he'd meant, my muscles turned to Jell-O and my anxiety disappeared.

"Is that better, lovely?"

"Mmmhmm…thanks Jazz. Are _you_ okay?"

"I think I'm ready to burst with excitement. I miss you."

"Miss you, too. That was torture."

"For me, too, private. Are you ready to do this?"

"Yes! Send my crazy sisters back in here. You'd better go round up the guys and get set or Allie is going to kill you."

I felt the slight shudder go through him and into me at the mention of wedding planner-zilla.

"You're right. I love you, darlin'. See you in a few."

"I love you, Jazz. Let's do this."

With a final squeeze, his hand slipped from mine and back out the door. I heard him walk down the hall, softly calling the boys as he went. Alice and Rosalie rushed their way back into the room, followed by a much calmer Esme. After a few last minute adjustments, they quickly zipped me into my gown. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and grinned. _I look like a harlot. Jasper is going to love this!_ I took a deep breath and looked at each of the women.

"Okay, ladies. Move out!"

We walked to the doors of the sanctuary and paused. Rose and Al took their places in front of me and Carlisle and Esme took theirs on either side of me. I couldn't decide which of them I wanted to give me away, so I'd asked both of them to walk me down the aisle.

I felt badly for making them pull double duty as part of the bridal party _and_ parents of the bride and groom, but was glad they were the ones giving me to their son. Alice turned from her place beside Edward and grinned back at me.

"It's time. We're going."

The doors opened and she and Edward paraded in ahead of Emmett and Rosalie. Finally, it was our turn. We stood at the door and I caught my first sight of Jasper in forty-eight hours. He looked amazing. The black of his tux made his paleness stand out all the more, and it took my breath away. I nearly laughed at the periwinkle bow tie that adorned his neck. He had balked at wearing a color that sounded like a fluffy little rabbit, but I'd persuaded him to wear it…in more ways than one.

I grinned at him as he caught my eye and took in the rest of my appearance. He bit his lip to stop the laughter I could clearly see in his eyes Thinking that his long-dead biological parents were spinning in their graves watching their son marry a common saloon girl, we started up the aisle. _This is the first day of our eternity. _

* * *

The ceremony went off without a hitch. Everything was perfect, just as Alice knew it would be when she arranged it. Before we knew it, Jasper and I were running back down the aisle, out the church door to the limo waiting outside to take us to the reception. He helped me into the back seat and followed me in, shutting the door on the flurry of breadcrumbs raining down on us. We were laughing, brushing the bread out of each other's hair.

"Darlin', where on Earth did you find a dress like that?"

"Edward helped me find it in the shop in Seattle. Do you like it?"

"Very much. Right down to the feather in your hair."

"It suits us, I think. Is it weird that I'm so happy I could scream right now?"

"No. I am ecstatic. It's good that I'm in this car, or I'd be tempted to scale a wall and literally shout from the rooftops."

I rolled my eyes, pleased. He chuckled and pulled me to his side, my head resting on his shoulder. I sighed with contentment, my lips caressing his neck. A thrill shot through me as I felt his hands slide down and grasp my backside. My growl of pleasure spurned him on and he pulled me into his lap. His lips met mine, setting a furious pace. When I felt the haze starting to coat my brain, I slapped a hand to his chest.

"Jazz…we have to stop now. I want you so much, and if we keep it up, we won't be able to wait until our wedding night."

"Damn it. I forgot about that. Why did we do that again?"

I ticked off the reasons on my fingers to distract myself.

"Alice stopped us from seeing each other until about an hour ago. We're in the backseat of a car. If we aren't at the reception on time, Allie will murder us. And…we want to make tonight special."

"I told you…ice, you, and Eskimos."

"Whatever. Just keep your hands to yourself, Houdini."

"Houdini?"

"Yep. You've got magic hands, buster."

He grinned, obviously pleased with himself. I rolled my eyes and settled my head onto his shoulder.

"Don't be too proud of yourself, slick. Keep it in your pants."

That was the last thing I said to him before the limo blew up around us.

* * *

Songs for the chapter: **Scream**-The Veronicas & **Come What May**-Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman from _Moulin Rouge!_

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	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The whispers around me were driving me crazy. I wished they'd shut up and leave me in peace. My head was throbbing, along with every inch of my body. _Goddamn it, I feel like I was hit by a fricking semi. What the hell happened to me?_ I groaned, trying to open my eyes. The light burned and I hissed in pain, squeezing them tightly shut again.

The pain made me want to pass out. The softness of the bed and the warmth of the blankets over me almost lulled me back into the darkness. _What the hell…I'm going back to sleep. I don't have to be awake. _My body burrowed itself into the comfort, trying to escape the aching.

The movement seemed to poke every bruise and pull every muscle and break every bone in that second. I felt something cool and smooth brush my forehead and leaned into the touch; it took away the pain, but only for a second. I flinched and whimpered as the cold moved away. _Come back…that felt so good…please!_ As if the coolness heard me, it again brushed across my skin. The pain started to go away and I could understand the voices.

"Sam, can you hear me?"

_Sam…Samantha…that's me…_

"Yes, your name is Samantha. Can you open your eyes, little one?"

"No…hurts…sleep."

A different voice spoke.

"I know it hurts, dear heart. The pain will go away soon."

The names of the owners of these voices popped into my head.

"Edward? Carlisle? Where am I," I asked, my eyes fluttering open.

I heard another voice…a woman's…really close.

"Thank God!"

"Esme?"

I felt her pick up my hand, grasping it in hers.

"Yes, dear. I'm here."

Suddenly, the memory of what had happened came rushing back. I sat bolted up in bed, causing Edward and Carlisle to jump back to avoid being hit. My eyes widened with horror as one name ran on a loop in my head.

"Jasper? Where's Jasper?"

Every eye in the room avoided meeting mine. Panic started to set in, my breathing erratic.

"Damn it, someone tell me what happened to my husband!"

Esme started weeping and was led from the room by a grim Carlisle. I turned on Edward.

"Please, I need to see him. Where is he? Is he all right?"

The deep sorrow and grief in his eyes told me what the answer to the last question was.

"No…he's okay, he has to be. This is some sick prank of yours, isn't it? Jasper, get your southern fried behind in here right now! I don't think this is funny, so you can stop."

Edward restrained me as I tried to jump out of bed in my anger.

"Sam, I'm sorry…the limousine you were in…it was blown up. Emmett and I got you out of the wreckage before the fire got to the gas tank, but it exploded before we could get him out. He…"

His eyes closed and I felt his chest hitch with his dry sobbing. I was frozen in shock. He took a deep breath, got some control back, and went on.

"All we found was ashes. Only you survived."

"How," I asked, my voice void of emotion; monotone.

"You had so many injuries. You had a concussion, your arms were both broken, there were cuts and burns all over you. Carlisle put venom on the wounds and they healed…slowly. You were out for an entire week. We thought we were going to lose you, too."

He crushed me in a bear hug then. The depth of his emotion and mine rocked me and I clung to him, sobbing. My life was worse than nothing now. Jasper was gone…I couldn't think of anything else to live for.

* * *

Song for the chapter: **The Cottage on the Beach**-Dario Marianelli, from the _Atonement_ Soundtrack

_**Please don't kill me! I couldn't believe my brain came up with this. I really am sorry to leave you on such a sad note. But, Breaking Dawn comes out in a day and I'm reading that and so will most of you. The sequel will probably be up around Friday of next week. I'll write an AN chapter with info on it when I do post it. Thank you all for reading and being such great reviewers! As is my tradition, you get a preview of what's coming next if you reivew. So...leave me one and you'll get the title of the sequel and the entire prologue plus a sentence or two from Ch. 1 to hold you over. Thanks again! Samantha**_

* * *


	25. Sequel!

_**Okay, all. I finally finished Breaking Dawn (which was amazing and blew my mind) at 1:30 this morning…after waiting until yesterday to get it in the fricking mail**__****__** Anyway…I'm posting the first chapter of my newest story, the sequel to this story. It's called Anodyne, so check it out if you liked this story. Thanks again to all of you who were such fabulous readers and reviewers. You were all so nice and helpful at the same time. It's much appreciated. Samantha **_


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